The cabinet has approved the prisoner swap agreement with Hizbullah. The decision, which followed a six-hour meeting earlier today, was approved by a majority of 22-3 with ministers Daniel Friedman, Ronnie Bar-On, and Zeev Boim voting against the deal.
The swap was approved after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gave it his support, although he said that he believed the captured soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, are no longer alive. Olmert met the families of the captured soldiers in his office after the meeting.
The deal will see the return of the two soldiers after two years in captivity. In exchange, Israel is to set free Samir Kuntar, murderer of the Haran family in Nahariya in 1979, and five other Lebanese prisoners. Israel will also return the bodies of 190 Hizbollah fighters. A number of Palestinian prisoners are also expected to be set free at a later stage. Israel is apparently due to also receive an intelligence report on the fate of missing airman Ron Arad.
The swap is set to take place within the next ten days.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 29, 2008
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