Israel approves prisoner swap

ISRAEL’S Cabinet yesterday narrowly approved a contested prisoner swap with Hezbollah, even though it does not include a Israel’s most famous missing serviceman, an air force navigator captured 17 years ago.

The ministers debated for eight hours before approving the swap by a vote of 12-11, Cabinet members said. In Lebanon, Hezbollah officials threatened to kidnap more Israelis if the deal collapses.

Sharon had staked his prestige on the deal, one of the toughest tests of his leadership in nearly three years as prime minister. He lobbied hard among ministers, brushing aside criticism that the swap would be seen as rewarding violence.

The swap will see Israel release more than 400 Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners in exchange for Israeli businessman Elhanan Tannenbaum and the bodies of three soldiers held by the Lebanese guerrilla group. It does not address the fate of Ron Arad, an Israeli air force navigator shot down over Lebanon in 1986.

Arad’s family campaigned heavily against the deal. Arad is something of an icon in Israel, while Tannenbaum reportedly was lured abroad by Hezbollah with a promise of a shady business deal to help him cover gambling debts.

Pressure on the ministers mounted further today, with the airman’s wife and daughter giving emotional radio interviews just before the Cabinet convened.

Also, a participant in a secretive government probe into Arad’s whereabouts said today he believes the airman is still alive and held by Iran.

In the Cabinet session, Sharon reportedly said that voting no would mean Tannenbaum will die in captivity. The army chief, Lieutenant General Moshe Yaalon, spoke in favour of the swap, according to Israel Radio.

The heads of the Mossad spy agency, Meir Dagan, and the Shin Bet security service, Avi Dichter, criticised the deal. Dagan told ministers the exchange would only boost Hezbollah’s standing in the Arab world, the radio said.

Critics also say paying such a high price for the captives would be seen as rewarding terror and increase the motivation to kidnap Israelis, including civilians. The swap could also encourage Palestinian militants in the West Bank and Gaza to emulate Hezbollah’s tactics.

“The message that will be given by a ‘yes’ vote is clear, that kidnapping really pays,” said Uzi Landau, a Cabinet minister without portfolio. “I shall vote against.”

While Arad is not part of the deal, Lebanese guerrilla leader Mustafa Dirani, who captured the airman and reportedly sold him to Iran in May 1988, is to go free. Dirani was kidnapped by Israeli commandos in 1994 as a bargaining chip for Arad.

Some 50 people in favour of the swap, including relatives of the three dead soldiers, marched outside the prime minister’s office during the meeting. Arad’s daughter Yuval, who was 15 months old when her father was captured, told Israel Army Radio her family is giving up hope of ever seeing Arad.