There's a lot of hype surrounding the news of a prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel. More than 1,000 Palestinians are to be freed in exchange for one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, who has been held in Gaza for more than five years. It's also been confirmed that Marwan Barghouti, the influential Fatah leader, and Ahmad Saadat, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, will not be released as expected.
This has come after many attempts by both sides to reach a deal. The setting today is different with the so-called Arab Spring changing the dynamics of the Arab world, namely Egyptian-Israeli relations, and a weakened Syrian backing of Hamas due to internal Syrian unrest. Against this backdrop, this deal is being perceived as successful for both sides. But it cannot be emphasised enough that more than 10,000 Palestinian prisoners languish in Israeli prisons — where international law and human rights resolutions on the prisoners are being violated every day. For years, Palestinians have been trying to highlight their plight but to no avail. What is to become of them and who is monitoring Israel's illegal actions against them? We're talking about thousands of prisoners whose only crime is showing resistance against their occupiers. Many, including women and children are there without explanation.
There are two things to stress: first, Israeli life is no more precious than Palestinian life and this has to be acknowledged by the international community. Second, because of Shalit's capture, Israel stepped up its brutality against Palestinians in Gaza in the last five years. This deal must be taken as an opportunity to highlight the remaining Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. The US, the European Union and the rest of the world must confront this issue as they do in other countries. No more impunity for Israel. If this prisoner swap deal is a victory for Palestinians, it comes at a very heavy price and amid major Israeli injustices.
