Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have reached a deal brokered by Germany for a prisoner exchange to take place within two or three weeks, Egyptian state-owned daily al-Ahram reported yesterday.
"The prisoner swap between Hezbollah and Israel is to take place within two or three weeks maximum, thanks to a German mediation which is currently arranging the details of the exchange," the paper said, citing high-ranking officials.
According to the newspaper, the swap could take place simultaneously or in two stages.
In the second scenario, the Shiite militant group would hand over the two Israeli soldiers captured on July 12 after "receiving strong guarantees from the German mediator that Lebanese prisoners would be released the next day or the day after," the newspaper said.
The cross-border raid in which Hezbollah seized the two soldiers triggered a massive Israeli offensive against Lebanon, to which Hezbollah responded by firing rockets at northern Israel.
At least 1,200 Lebanese, most of them civilians, and 160 Israelis, most of them soldiers, were killed in the month-long conflict.
Germany brokered a deal in January 2004 that saw Israel exchange 429 Arab prisoners for the release of an Israeli businessman captured by Hezbollah and the remains of three soldiers.
When he announced the capture of the two soldiers, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said he was ready to exchange them for Arabs held in Israel.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has said her government is ready to negotiate for a release of the two soldiers.
Al-Ahram said an exchange between Israel and Hezbollah would help efforts to secure the release of a third Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, who was captured on June 25 by Gaza-based militants.
"Once a Hezbollah-Israel deal is reached, the Shalit problem could be solved" even before the other two soldiers are freed, the newspaper said.
Meanwhile, a key US legislator said in Israel yesterday that he would block aid President George W. Bush has promised Lebanon and free the funds only when Beirut agreed to the deployment of international troops on its border with Syria.
"The international community must use all our available means to stiffen Lebanon's spine and to convince the government of Lebanon to have the new UNIFIL troops on the Syrian border in adequate numbers," said Representative Tom Lantos, the ranking Democrat on the US House of Representatives' International Relations Committee.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was