Smotrich’s Prisoner Exchange Revelations
According to the news in the “Israel Hayom” newspaper, Israeli Labor Party leader Bezalel Smotrich made striking statements about the prisoner swap negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
Smotrich described the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisoners in a possible deal as a “horrific event.” The far-right minister said he would oppose the release of Palestinian prisoners in any deal and stressed that “a red line must be drawn” on the issue.
Referring to the prisoner swap in 2011, in which 1,027 Palestinian prisoners were released in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, Smotrich said he would oppose the release of Palestinian prisoners in a new deal, “even if it would mean the end of his political career .”
As these statements come, there are at least 9,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisoners, while the number of Israeli prisoners in Gaza is reported to be 120. No clear result has yet emerged from the ongoing indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel for a new prisoner swap .
