(Haaretz).Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is close to concluding a deal with Hamas to free abducted soldier Gilad Shalit, Haaretz has learned.
At the end of former prime minister Ehud Olmert's term in March, Israel had refused to release 125 of the 450 prisoners Hamas was demanding in exchange for Shalit - those who committed the most serious offenses.
However, observers now report cautious optimism on both sides about the chances of concluding a deal.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak and his wife Nili yesterday visited the Shalit family in Mitzpeh Hila in northern Israel. Netanyahu is thought to have a better relationship with the Shalits than Olmert did, and the Shalits seem to have confidence in him. This could be the reason for their toned-down statements regarding the government.
Appointing Hagai Hadas as chief negotiator in place of Ofer Dekel has also improved the atmosphere. Hadas seems to have better relations with the Shalits, Netanyahu and the defense establishment heads.
Palestinian commentators said Hamas now appears interested in signing a deal: Hamas needs an achievement, given its defeat in the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip in January, Gaza's stalled rehabilitation and especially its diminishing status versus Fatah in Palestinian public opinion.
At the end of former prime minister Ehud Olmert's term in March, Israel had refused to release 125 of the 450 prisoners Hamas was demanding in exchange for Shalit - those who committed the most serious offenses.
However, observers now report cautious optimism on both sides about the chances of concluding a deal.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak and his wife Nili yesterday visited the Shalit family in Mitzpeh Hila in northern Israel. Netanyahu is thought to have a better relationship with the Shalits than Olmert did, and the Shalits seem to have confidence in him. This could be the reason for their toned-down statements regarding the government.
Appointing Hagai Hadas as chief negotiator in place of Ofer Dekel has also improved the atmosphere. Hadas seems to have better relations with the Shalits, Netanyahu and the defense establishment heads.
Palestinian commentators said Hamas now appears interested in signing a deal: Hamas needs an achievement, given its defeat in the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip in January, Gaza's stalled rehabilitation and especially its diminishing status versus Fatah in Palestinian public opinion.