The Gilad Shalit swap deal was set in motion today at 16 prisons around Israel where 477 terrorists are being held. The prisoners were gathered together ahead of their release on Tuesday, in exchange for the kidnapped Israeli soldier, who has been held in Gaza since 2006, and transported to the Ketziot prison camp in the Negev and Tel Mond prison near Netanya. From there they will be moved to Egypt and then to Gaza and the West Bank.
Last night the full list of names of those Palestinians to be released in the first stage of the deal was published on the Israel Prisons Service website, to enable opposition to be registered by those wishing to petition the High Court of Justice.
The panel of justices - Supreme Court president Dorit Beinisch, deputy president Eliezer Rivlin and Hanan Melzar will discuss petitions against the deal tomorrow at 12. At the same time, President Shimon Peres will receive a file with the names of the prisoners that Minister of Justice Yaakov Neeman is recommending receive clemency.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the Israeli government's special envoy on the return of Shalit David Meidan, to hear about the latest developments.
The 477 prisoners being released in the first stage include 280 men and 27 women serving life sentences. It is not yet clear which 550 additional prisoners will be released in the second stage.
In the first stage 131 prisoners will be returned to the Gaza strip of whom 55 will proceed to the West Bank or East Jerusalem. Another 55 prisoners will be taken directly to the West Bank or East Jerusalem according to an agreement with Hamas. 18 prisoners hailing from the West Bank will be exiled to Gaza for three years and 45 prisoners will be indefinitely exiled to Gaza. Six prisoners are Israeli citizens who will be allowed to return to their homes in Israel. Of the female prisoners one will be expelled to Jordan and one expelled to Gaza.
Among those prisoners serving life sentences who will be released are: Yahiya Sanwar and Jihad Yarmur who were involved in the kidnapping and murder of Nachshon Wachsman; Mohammed Sharatcha, who headed the band that kidnapped and murdered the soldiers Ilan Sa'adon and Avi Sasportas; Ibrahim Shamasna who confessed to participating in the murders of the youths Ronen Karamani and Lior Tubul, the taxi driver Rafi Doron and the soldier Yehoshua Friedberg; and Walid Anjes who received 36 life sentences for his involvement in the suicide bombings at the Moment café in Jerusalem, the cafeteria at the Hebrew University's Mount Scopus, and at night club in Rishon Lezion.
Other prisoners being released include those who perpetrated the murders of border policeman Nissim Toledano and the soldiers Shahar Simani and Yaron Chen; and Abed Al-Aziz Tzalcha who carried out the lynching of Israeli soldiers in Ramallah in 2000; and Amnam Mona who over the Internet lured the youth Ofir Rachum to Ramallah where he was murdered.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on October 16, 2011
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