The Israeli ministerial committee to look into exchanging Palestinian prisoners for a captive Israeli soldier had a low authoritative ceiling that can't secure a swap deal, a Palestinian official said Sunday.
"According to the information that came out from the committee's first meeting, it is clear that the body doesn't have that high authorization," said Qadoura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoner Club, an organization defending prisoners' rights.
The committee's work focuses on easing Israeli criteria to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Gilad Shalit, who has been held by Palestinian militant groups since June 2006.
In June of 2006, Hamas' military wing, along with the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) and the Army of Islam, kidnapped Shalit in a cross-border raid in southeast Gaza Strip.
Hamas and the other two groups demand the release of one thousand prisoners in addition to leaders of factions, women, children, patients and old inmates.
The Palestinian demand contradicts the Israeli principles of not releasing prisoners accused of being involved in attacks that resulted in killing Israelis.
Fares says the committee's limited field of work "doesn't comply with the requirements of making a breakthrough within the peace process since the prisoners' issue is a key factor in the peace process."
Source; Xinhua/
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