Region | Palestinian Territories
Israeli cabinet approves Hezbollah prisoner swap
Israeli PM Ehud Olmert wins prisoner swap approval, admits Israeli soldiers are dead.
- Agencies
- Published: 12:58 June 29, 2008
- Eldad Regev was one of the Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah in 2006
- Image Credit: Gulf News archive
Occupied Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert won his cabinet's approval on Sunday for a prisoner swap with Hezbollah.
For the first time, Olmert also declared that the two soldiers they have been trying to recover—Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev—are dead.
"Our initial theory was that the soldiers were alive...Now we know with certainty there is no chance that that is the case," Army Radio quoted Olmert as telling his cabinet.
Meanwhile, under the deal, Israel would free five jailed Lebanese fighters in exchange for Goldwasser and Regev. Israel would also repatriate the bodies of 10 dead rebels.
"This is a matter of the highest moral order," Olmert said in a broadcast statement before the debate.
He said he had "vacillated deeply" over the deal after hearing arguments Israel should return only bodies to Hezbollah if its troops were dead.
Olmert's deputy, Haim Ramon, said there was no avoiding the deal. "Under such circumstances, I think there is no avoiding a decision in favour of the trade," Ramon told Israel Radio.
Samir Qantar, who is serving a life sentence for a 1979 border raid is also part of the deal.
Israeli officials have previously described him as the last "bargaining chip" for the return of missing air force navigator Ron Arad.
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