Israel will release prisoners regardless of Gilad Shalit

The Israeli goverment is likely to release Palestinian prisoners as a gesture for the Muslim hoilday of sacrifice. Those in favor of the release, who include PM Olmert and Security Minister Peretz say that it will serve to strengthen Abu Mazen in the Palestinian political arena. The planned release will likely take place regardless of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who is held captive by Hamas in Gaza for six months.
Several ministers who oppose the planned release say that this step will be interpreted as weakness by the Palestinian terror groups and that Israel should only release prisoners in exchange for Gilad Shalit.
Prisoner release was one of the issues which Olmert and Abu Mazen discussed in their meeting last Saturday.

Two rockets land in Negev

Two Qassam rockets landed today near a kibutz in the Israeli Negev. Yesterday saw 4 rocket launches from the Gaza Strip. One of the four rockets landed close to a kindergarten and only by a miracle no one was hurt. Today's rockets are no. 54 and 55 since the declarartion of the ceasefire over a month ago.

Yuval Diskin, the head of Shin-Bet, the Israeli security service which operates in the Palestinian Territories, spoke in yesterday's government meeting and described the catch in which Israel is in: If Israel does not respond the launches will continue; if it does respond, the relative calm which the ceasefire brought would be over. Diskin reported that Islamic Jihad is responsible for the rocket launches and not the Hamas who is adhering to the ceasefire.