Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Mediator sets deadline for Israel-Hamas swap
|
Edition:
U.S.
Article
Save
Email
Print
Reprints
Most Popular
Most Shared
Fox says Time Warner Cable may drop Fox TV shows
18 Dec 2009
Exclusive: Pentagon delays new "bunker buster" bomb
18 Dec 2009
WRAPUP 4-U.S. Democrats secure 60th vote on health bill
2:49pm EST
Democrats secure 60th vote on health bill
3:20pm EST
Swedish PM says winding down of Saab no surprise
10:30am EST
Exclusive: Pentagon delays new "bunker buster" bomb
18 Dec 2009
Fox says Time Warner Cable may drop Fox TV shows
18 Dec 2009
U.N. climate talks end with bare minimum agreement
| Video
3:53pm EST
Democrats secure 60th vote on health bill
3:20pm EST
WRAPUP 4-U.S. Democrats secure 60th vote on health bill
2:49pm EST
Mediator "sets deadline" for Israel-Hamas swap
CAIRO
Sat Dec 19, 2009 2:39pm EST
CAIRO (Reuters) - A German mediating a prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas has told the parties he will quit unless they reach a deal soon, the Palestinian president said in an interview published on Saturday.
World
Mahmoud Abbas told the Egyptian state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper that the German negotiator, whose identity remains secret, had set a timeline of "two or three weeks" to agree to the swap.
Egypt and Germany are mediating the prisoner exchange, which would set free a captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in exchange for nearly 1,000 of the 11,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
Asked about the state of the deal, Abbas said: "This issue is between Hamas and Israel. And Egypt plays a large role. And the German mediator has entered recently."
Abbas said he had been briefed by Israeli officials.
"I learned from Israel, and not from anyone else, that the German mediator gave a specified period, and if the exchange deal was not resolved, he would stop negotiations between the two sides."
Asked how long, he said: "Two or three weeks."
Abbas also mentioned top Egyptian mediator, Chief of Intelligence Omar Suleiman, as being instrumental in talks. He is to visit Israel on Sunday.
Israeli media have quoted local officials as saying Suleiman's visit was not directly connected with the prisoner swap but that the issue could also be discussed.
The liberation of Shalit, who was snatched by Hamas in a raid on the border of the Gaza Strip over three years ago, has been a political priority for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as previous government, led by Ehud Olmert.
The exchange would be the first significant sign of a thaw between Israel and Hamas since Israel launched a military offensive last December in which at least 1,400 Gaza Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed in three weeks.
The United Nations and Western powers hope a successful swap will open the way to a relaxation of Israel's blockade of Gaza, where 1.5 million Palestinians are dependent on food aid and smuggled goods for daily survival.
Negotiations over the list of Palestinians to be released in return for Shalit have proceeded slowly, with Israel balking at allowing men convicted of killings of Israelis to go free and return to the Palestinian territories.
(Reporting by Alexander Dziadosz; writing by Ori Lewis in Jerusalem; editing by Douglas Hamilton and Andrew Roche)
World
More from Reuters
Democrats secure 60th vote on health bill
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Democrats reached a compromise on Saturday with a holdout senator that secured the 60 votes they need to pass a broad healthcare overhaul sought by President Barack Obama.
Storm threatens retailers' last holiday push
U.N. climate talks end with bare minimum agreement
| Video
East Coast hammered by severe Winter storm
Climate deal highlights U.N. flaws
Senate approves $636 billion military spending bill
» More Top News
The food-stamp economy
On the last day of every month, shoppers at Walmart load their carts with food and household items and wait for the midnight hour. Is this the new normal in America? Full Article
Factbox: A look at food stamps in U.S.
Focusing on food for the holidays
A "lost" middle class?
U.S.
Let's make a deal
The battered M&A sector will make a tepid recovery in the coming year and three hot sectors will lead the way, according to a Thomson Reuters analysis. Full Article
JPMorgan tops ECM rankings
Hungry for deals after a forced diet
Fewer bankruptcies seen in 2010
Global Deals Review
© Copyright 2009 Thomson Reuters
Editorial Editions:
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
United States
Reuters
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Help
Journalism Handbook
Archive
Site Index
Video Index
Analyst Research
Mobile
Newsletters
RSS
Podcasts
Widgets
Your View
Labs
Thomson Reuters
Copyright
Disclaimer
Privacy
Professional Products
Professional Products Support
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Careers
Online Products
Acquisitions Monthly
Buyouts.com
Buyouts Europe:
Buyouts Conferences:
Venture Capital Journal
ECVJ
International Financing Review
International Securitisation Report
Project Finance International
PEhub.com
PE Week
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
Other News on Sunday, 20 December 2009 Egypt boosts security at Gaza border after firing
Pope decrees beatification of Poland's 'Solidarity chaplain'
Georgia blows up Soviet memorial, two people killed
|
Lebanon's Hariri on landmark visit to Syria
Iran charges detention center jailers with murder
|
Pope moves wartime pontiff closer to sainthood
ON THE ROAD WITH MULLEN: Parking concerns in Iraq
Mediator sets deadline for Israel-Hamas swap
|
Iran detention centre staff face murder trial: report
Iran, Iraq seek diplomatic end to border dispute
Egypt boosts security at Gaza border after firing
|
Iran acknowledges prisoners were beaten to death
Italian couple kidnapped in Mauritania
|
Reward offered for Auschwitz death camp sign
|
Pakistan govt: Ministers who lost amnesty to stay
Cambodia deports 20 Uighurs back to China
Blizzard-like storm slams East, region snowed in
New Afghan Cabinet list draws ire from legislators
Strong quake rattles Taiwan, some damage reported
Hawaii dimmed by education, election, health cuts
Cambodia to expel Uighur asylum-seekers from China
After climber deaths, Oregon faces beacon question
Senate sends big Pentagon budget bill to Obama
India's main opposition party gets new leader
Highlights of Senate wrap-up legislation
Senate Dems reach 60 vote threshold on health bill
What's in health care proposals for 5 Americans
Obama Back In U.S. After Copenhagen Meet, Defends Non-Binding Climate Deal
Delta Cancels Flights To D.C. Due To Snowstorm
Update: Snowstorm To Spoil Largest Christmas Shopping Weekend In East Coast
Tag Heuer To Limit Use Of Woods Image
FDIC Closes 2 California Banks
Winter Storm Blankets Northeast Conditions Begin To Deteriorate
Iraq sends forces to oil well seized by Iran
Eurostar services cancelled after travellers stranded
US-TECH Summary
Iran's top dissident cleric Montazeri dies: report
|
Wall Street hesitates in face of new economic realities
Pope moves wartime pontiff closer to sainthood
Small iPhone developer Tapulous sees big success
Iran charges detention centre jailers with murder
Readers Vote Michael Jackson The Biggest Celebrity News Story Of 2009
Cambodia deports Uighurs despite criticism
|
Long Beach Youth Club To Honor Warren G With Image Award
Iran troops have made partial withdrawal: Iraq
|
SAG Awards Announces Nominees
Mediator "sets deadline" for Israel-Hamas swap
Brazil needle victim recovers, outrage at cruelty
|
Katt Williams Sued By Assistant Over Unpaid Wages
Greek PM in unity call as parliament debates crisis budget
Michael Jackson's Estate Executors Ask For Higher Fee
Georgia blows up Soviet memorial, two people killed
|
Susan Boyle Earns #1 On Billboard Albums Chart For Third Week
Jay-Z And Alicia Keep Ke$ha From #1 On Billboard Hot 100
Susan Boyle's "Britain's Got Talent" Video Named Most Watched On YouTube For 2009
Judge Bans Courtney Love From Contacting Daughter
FBI Arrests Man Charged With Leaking "Wolverine" Online
Small iPhone developer Tapulous sees big success
|
Hynix can spend $2 billion capex in 2010
|
China: Climate talks yielded 'positive' results
At 100, Boy Scouts say they're still `essential'
Reports: Malaysia fighter jet engine stolen
Blizzard blasts eastern US, Washington snowed under
Malaysia opposition make unity pledge to win power
Obama Reiterates Health Reform to Get Insurance Companies Accountable
Myanmar's Suu Kyi party needs new blood: analysts
Evangelical church opens doors fully to gays
In Afghan war, officer flourishes outside the box
What's in health care proposals for 5 Americans
Weather forecast for the Asia-Pacific region
Facing prison, Astor's son bares private life
Thousands of Taiwanese protest China envoy's visit
Too cold for nude protest, NYC bikers switch gears
Cambodia deports Uighurs despite criticism
Asylum seekers leave Indonesia: official
Lockerbie bomber Megrahi's health deteriorates
Five missing after boat sinks off S.Korea
Against nudity ban, Ore. gallery takes it all off
Hyundai Motor announces China truck venture
Airlines eye 'contact-less' travel
Hospital's pursuit of Indonesian creates folk hero
Report: Kevin Jonas, ex-hairdresser marry in NY
Lil Wayne's Texas concert on after checkpoint stop
Chinese-sculpted winter wonderland in Washington
Swedish jeans 'Made in North Korea' go on sale
India hosts its first ever transsexual beauty pageant
Bolivian student crowned 'Mister International' in Taiwan
Taiwan-China trade pact could boost film industry: report
Thousands hit in second day of Eurostar standstill
Iranian dissident cleric Montazeri dies
Pipeline sabotage halts oil exports from northern Iraq
Karzai says new cabinet to be accountable
|
Top Iran dissident cleric Montazeri dies at 87
Iran troops leave oil well, still in Iraq: Dabbagh
Thousands protest in Taiwan over China trade talks
|
Iran dissident Grand Ayatollah Montazeri dies
Serbia to launch EU membership bid: PM
Hariri sees new page in Lebanon ties with Syria
|
Philippines raises volcano alert as eruption nears
|
Berlusconi's popularity rises after attack
|
China to try prominent dissident on Wednesday: lawyer
|
Mortar shell attacks kills at least 14 in Somalia
|
Obama health plan gets boost as deadline looms
Thousands protest in Taiwan over China trade talks
US envoy visits Zelaya at Brazilian embassy
Macau marks a decade of Chinese rule
Major volcanic eruption feared in Philippines
Chinese man's subversion trial to start this week
Myanmar state press says no charter change for now
Maoist protesters clash with police in Nepal
Up to 30,000 in Taiwan anti-China rally ahead of talks
French PM in China for talks to boost trade
Philippines raises volcano alert as eruption nears
Malaysian fighter jet engine stolen from airbase
Asia spending again after financial meltdown
Gas pipeline a symbol of China's power: analysts
Gambling city Macau marks 10 years of Chinese rule
S.Korea, China agree 400-million-dollar auto deal
Spain leads world in organ donations
Pamela Anderson is magic in London panto 'Aladdin'
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights