Mideast prisoner swap deal losing its luster for both sides

Initial jubilation over the impending prisoner-swap deal between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas began to fade Wednesday as people on both sides expressed concern that their leaders may have given away too much at the negotiating table.

While many Palestinians celebrated the expected release of 1,027 prisoners from Israeli jails, some were disappointed that the list did not include high-profile leaders such as Marwan Barghouti and Ahmed Saadat. The two men were convicted by Israeli courts of orchestrating terrorist attacks. In previous negotiations, Hamas had insisted that the men be released.

In addition, more than 200 prisoners will be deported after their release, either to the Gaza Strip or another country, and Israel has reserved the right to rearrest or assassinate them if they are suspected of more crimes.

“Hamas could have bargained for a better deal,” said Issa Qaraqi, minister for prisoner affairs for the Palestinian Authority and a member of the Fatah movement, a rival Palestinian faction. “The deal has some shortfalls.”

Hamas officials dismiss such complaints as sour grapes from a political competitor, but excitement on the streets of the West Bank noticeably cooled Wednesday as details about the deal emerged.

“The initial glow has died down,” said Muhannad Abdul Hamid, a Palestinian political analyst and newspaper columnist. “People thought Hamas broke through all of Israel’s red lines, but now there is some disappointment.”

Hamid said many Palestinians began having second thoughts after Israel’s right-wing Cabinet voted overwhelmingly to accept the deal, which he said Palestinians interpreted as proof that the terms weren’t tough enough.

In return for the release of the Palestinian prisoners, Hamas agreed to free Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held by militants in Gaza since 2006. The deal is expected to conclude next week.

At a solidarity tent in the West Bank city of Ramallah, anxious relatives awaited word Wednesday about whether their loved ones would be released. Many expressed gratitude toward Hamas. Others were more reserved.

Jamila Froukh, whose brother is serving a life sentence for his participation in the militant group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said Hamas was just doing its duty as a political party. “They are not doing us any favors,” she said. “Hamas should not expect us to feel obliged to it.”

Such sentiments raise questions about how much of a political boost Hamas may receive thanks to the prisoner swap.

Political science professor and Hamas supporter Abdul Sattar Kassem predicted that the Islamist group’s popularity would soar, recovering from a recent drop in public opinion polls when compared with Fatah.

He said the upcoming reunification of hundreds of Palestinian families would overshadow Fatah leader and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ campaign for United Nations membership by providing tangible results for the public. He also said the deal would serve as an endorsement of Hamas’ policy of using force and armed resistance, rather than Fatah’s focus on peace talks and international diplomacy.

“More people will be convinced that the only thing Israel understands is power and force,” Sattar Kassem said. “This kind of achievement undermines the negotiation process.”

That’s exactly what many in Israel are afraid of. After national celebrations Tuesday night over the expected release of Shalit, some leaders and pundits began voicing concern about the deal, noting that it could set a dangerous precedent. Israel has never before exchanged so many Palestinian prisoners for a single soldier.

“The deal is a prize for terrorism,” columnist Ben-Dror Yemini wrote in the Israeli daily newspaper Maariv on Wednesday. “It isn’t a deal. It is capitulation.”

Some relatives of victims of terrorist attacks gathered outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, urging him not to release so many convicted criminals.

More than 300 of the prisoners to be released are serving life sentences.

“Never have we paid such a price,” said Meir Indor, head of Almagor, an advocacy group for victims of terrorism.

Indor said 180 Israelis were killed from 2000 through 2006 by former prisoners released in previous swap deals. The group plans to file an appeal with the Israeli Supreme Court to block the release, but previous attempts have been rejected by justices.

“This is bad for Israel,” Indor said. “Netanyahu is releasing more murderers and more people with Israeli blood on their hands than anyone ever has.”

edmund.sanders@latimes.com

Special correspondent Maher Abukhater in Ramallah contributed to this report.