Israel frees jailed Hamas lawmaker in West Bank

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"An Israeli military court ordered the release on Thursday of a Hamas lawmaker detained two years ago as part of a crackdown on the Islamist Palestinian faction in the occupied West Bank.

Plans to prosecute Bassam al-Zahari were dropped due to "reasonable doubt," a military spokeswoman said. Zahari told Reuters by telephone that he had left Israel's Ofer prison and was returning to his hometown, Hebron. Israeli forces seized Zahari and other Hamas politicians in the West Bank after a soldier, Gilad Shalit, was abducted to the Gaza Strip by the Islamist faction's gunmen on June 25, 2006.

Hamas accused Israel of gathering "bargaining chips" for Shalit's release. Israeli officials said the lawmakers, who took office when Hamas crushed the secular Palestinian faction Fatah in elections that year, were suspected of security offenses.

Talks on Shalit's return are part of an Egyptian-brokered Gaza truce between Israel and Hamas that began on Thursday. Hamas wants Israel to free hundreds of jailed Palestinians for the soldier. Israel has balked at some of the names on the roster but signalled it could relax its criteria for clemency."

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[Vegasaurus]

1. Sure, release a bunch of murdering terrorists

what a dumb move.

[azurnoir]

2. So what do you know

that the Israeli military doesn't? Perhaps you should share your wisdom with them.

[Violet_Crumble]

4. I notice there was an absense of wisdom sharing there...

Probably coz it was yet another knee-jerk post done without even reading the article...

[azurnoir]

3. Sounds as if perhaps

the swap has already begun, hopefully Gilad Shalit will be released soon.