Thursday, January 04, 2007

Which Newspaper?

Note the disparity of reporting from two leading Israeli Newspapers [my emphasis added - SL]:

This is from Jerusalem Post, Jan. 3, 2007, by HERB KAINON AND JPOST STAFF ...

Hamas: We have received new proposal to free Shalit

Ahmed Youssef, political advisor to Palestinian Authority Prime Minster Ismail Haniyeh, said on Wednesday night that Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman had transmitted a new proposed deal to Haniyeh in Saudi Arabia to secure the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit and that Hamas was discussing the proposal.

Israel Radio reported that Youssef told Palestinian new agency, Ma'an, that the contentious issue between the two sides was the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released by Israel. Yossef said that Israel was now prepared to release about one third of the number being demanded by Palestinians. Youssef expressed hope that Israel would relent and raise the number of prisoners to be freed with Egyptian mediation.

He claimed that Israel had agreed to release 200 prisoners who had been sentenced to long prison terms, including senior officials from Hamas and other Palestinian factions.....

...and from Haartez, Tue., January 02, 2007, by Avi Issacharoff ...

Hamas: We agree to Israeli Shalit proposal

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said yesterday the organization has accepted a prisoner exchange offer conveyed by Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman during his visit to Saudi Arabia last weekend. ... Suleiman presented the officials with Israel's offer to release about 450 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of Gilad Shalit. ...About two months after Shalit's return, Israel would release a second group of prisoners. Israel has promised to be "generous" with the numbers being released. If the deal is completed, Hamas will be able to claim that Israel agreed to free more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, while Israel will claim that it released only 500 to 600, and that the remainder were released in negotiations with PA Chair Mahmoud Abbas....

Which Israeli Newspaper do you read?

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