Israel's arrest of parl't speaker not to help free captive soldier: Palestinian official

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Tuesday that Israel's arrest of Palestinian Parliament Speaker Aziz Dweik would not help free an Israeli soldier kidnapped by Palestinian militants in June.

The detention of Dweik "will not boost Israel's position in negotiations to release the Israeli soldier held in Gaza," Erekat told a news conference held in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

"Israel is mistaken if it thinks that detaining Dweik and his colleagues would reinforce its position regarding the captive soldier and exchanging him for Palestinian prisoners," he added.

Erekat also said that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had instructed him to make urgent contacts with the United States, the United Nations and Russia in an effort to secure Dweik's release as soon as possible.

On Saturday night, Israeli forces snatched Dweik from his house in Ramallah.

Eight Hamas cabinet ministers and over 20 Hamas lawmakers were also detained by Israel in late June, shortly after the Israeli army started a massive air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip to rescue a soldier kidnapped by Gazan gunmen and halt Palestinian rocket fire.

Meanwhile, Erekat said that a total of 203 Palestinians had been killed since the beginning of the Israeli military operation on June 28, adding that the Israeli Gaza offensive become "a forgotten war" in the shadow of the conflict in Lebanon.

Palestinian militants holding the Israeli soldier hostage have demanded Israel release Palestinian women, children and 1,000 prisoners in Israeli jails in exchange for the soldier.

But Israel has rejected a prisoner swap, insisting on the unconditional release of the abducted soldier.

Source: Xinhua