FEATURED JOBS
Comments (0)Negotiations to bring about the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit have collapsed, a Hamas official said.
Mahmoud Zahar told the BBC Tuesday that the process to swap prisoners has “failed” over the “interference” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The main cause ... is that after the interference of the political element, after the interference of Netanyahu personally, there was a big regression and retraction,” Zahar said during an interview from Gaza on BBC World News’ “Hardtalk” program. “For this reason, everything now is stopped.”
Last month, Netanyahu called on Israeli negotiators to take a tougher stance on the deal being mediated by Germany, Reuters reported.
Hamas was angry that Israel planned to deport dozens of the up to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners that would be released in the deal.
Other reports have suggested that Hamas halted the negotiations after the murder of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai. Hamas still publicly blames Israel for his assassination even though its own internal probe reportedly showed that Arab agents killed him.
Shalit was captured into Gaza during a cross-border raid in June 2006.
Activists for Shalit on Tuesday morning demonstrated at the Karni and Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza, preventing fuel trucks from crossing into Gaza. Police disbursed the demonstrators.
Israel Warns Ships in Mediterranean
Israel’s Port Authority warned all ships in the Mediterranean Sea to be alert for explosive devices floating near beaches in southern Israel.
Beaches remained closed Tuesday, the day the warning was issued, as several suspicious objects were reported at southern beaches.
A day earlier, two explosive devices in barrels were discovered near southern Israeli beaches in Ashkelon and Ashdod, according to reports, and deactivated by police sappers.
Also Tuesday, a Kassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel. No injuries or damage were reported.
Police told the Israeli media that they believe the barrels discovered Monday by people walking on the beach came from Gaza, Haaretz reported. The barrels each weighed about 175 pounds.
A senior Palestinian source told Ynet Monday evening that the explosives were to be used to attack an Israeli oil rig in southern Israel. The source told Ynet that the attacks were a joint operation of several Palestinian terror groups.
Lake Kinneret Rises
The level of Lake Kinneret has risen by more than 34 inches in the past two months.
Water Authority workers returned to work Sunday for the first time since beginning a strike in November.
The measurement of Lake Kinneret is the first since the strike, and follows heavy rains throughout the country during the month of January. It was the largest January rainfall in five years, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Another 15 feet are needed to bring the Kinneret to full capacity.