Israel and its Hezbollah guerrilla foes staged a long-awaited prisoner swap yesterday that freed hundreds of jailed Arabs in return for a kidnapped Israeli and three dead soldiers.
The key to the German-mediated deal, three years in the making, was the identification at a Cologne air base of the bodies of the troops abducted at the border in 2000 and handed over by Hezbollah with businessman Elhanan Tannenbaum.
Shortly after the identification, Israel began releasing 400 Palestinian prisoners at five checkpoints into the West Bank and Gaza Strip. About 30 Arab prisoners from elsewhere were waiting at the German airport to fly home under the exchange.
"Thank God for our freedom. We hope that all prisoners will be released," said Mohammed Abu Hadas, who served 14 months for belonging to an Islamic group as he returned to Gaza. There are some 7,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
"We are happy, but our present happiness will be completed when all prisoners in Israeli jails are released."
In the West Bank, motorists blared their horns and people on the street waved as buses carried the prisoners past Israeli checkpoints.
The majority had been seized during three years of Israeli-Palestinian violence.
Most of the Arabs flown from Israel were Lebanese expected to return home later in the day. A German convert to Islam jailed in 1997 as a Hezbollah agent was also freed. In addition, Israel sent bodies of some 60 guerrillas back to Lebanon.
Tannenbaum said he had gone to Lebanon to seek information on Israeli air force navigator Ron Arad, who bailed out during a mission in 1986, as well as for business.
Also see story:
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
HOTEL HIRING: An official said that hoteliers could begin hiring migrant workers next year, but must adhere to a rule requiring a NT$2,000 salary hike for Taiwanese The government is to allow the hospitality industry to recruit mid-level migrant workers for housekeeping and three other lines of work after the Executive Yuan yesterday approved a proposal by the Ministry of Labor. A shortage of workers at hotels and accommodation facilities was discussed at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee. A 2023 survey conducted by the Tourism Administration found that Taiwan’s lodging industry was short of about 6,600 housekeeping and cleaning workers, the agency said in a report to the committee. The shortage of workers in the industry is being studied, the report said. Hotel and Lodging Division Deputy Director Cheng
TOKYO SUMMIT: The new Japanese PM’s words have demonstrated Japan’s ‘firm position on urging the prioritization of cross-strait peace,’ the foreign ministry said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday thanked US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for supporting peace in the Taiwan Strait, a day after the two at a summit in Tokyo emphasized the importance of regional stability and ahead of a meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea today. The previous day’s meeting was the first time Takaichi had met with the US leader since becoming Japanese prime minister, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Since taking office on Tuesday last week, Takaichi has urged the international community to
RSS