The online edition of German weekly magazine Der Spiegel reported Sunday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had retracted Israel's latest offer to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.
According to the weekly's sources, the entire deal is on the brink of collapse, although officials in Netanyahu's office said negotiations were ongoing.
The PM's Office refused to respond directly to the Der Spiegel report, but did issue a statement saying, "The negotiations for Shalit's release are complex and require nerves of steel. The prime minister is determined to preserve Israel's security interests throughout the process. His position is that there must be a balance between the desire to bring Gilad home and the need to prevent dangerous prisoners who have murdered people from returning to areas from which they can bring harm to Israeli citizens."
According to the weekly's sources, the entire deal is on the brink of collapse, although officials in Netanyahu's office said negotiations were ongoing.
The PM's Office refused to respond directly to the Der Spiegel report, but did issue a statement saying, "The negotiations for Shalit's release are complex and require nerves of steel. The prime minister is determined to preserve Israel's security interests throughout the process. His position is that there must be a balance between the desire to bring Gilad home and the need to prevent dangerous prisoners who have murdered people from returning to areas from which they can bring harm to Israeli citizens."