Prison deal ‘lets Hamas get stronger’

A NEAR consensus in Israel backing last week’s swap of 477 Palestinian prisoners for Hamas-held soldier Gilad Shalit broke down yesterday as the opposition leader said the deal had weakened Israel and Palestinian moderates while “doubling” the strength of the Islamic militant group.

Tzipi Livni, breaking a self-imposed silence over the Egyptian-brokered agreement with Hamas, told Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper that the deal “has the potential to cause strategic damage to the state of Israel”.

“What has happened foremost is that Hamas has become stronger.

“The deal has doubled its strength. Israel today is weaker and Hamas is stronger and no one can dispute this,” she said.

In Ms Livni’s view, the government decided in favour of the swap, which included 280 prisoners serving life sentences, in an irresponsible cave-in to the public’s desire to see Sergeant Shalit freed after five years in captivity in Gaza. “Is it necessary to free an abducted Israeli at any price? To me it’s clear the answer is no,” she said.