Hamas says arrests complicate soldier kidnap crisis

A Hamas official close to the Islamic movement’s exiled leader today described Israel’s detention of dozens of Palestinian Cabinet ministers and MPs belonging to the group as an act of hostage-taking that complicated efforts to trade a captured Israeli soldier for Arab prisoners.

But Osama Hamdan, Hamas’ Lebanon representative, would not comment on how Hamas would respond if Israel proposed exchanging Palestinian politicians in Israeli army custody for Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit whom Palestinian militants are holding.

“I believe the Israelis are complicating matters and they will be responsible for the repercussions,” he said.

Hamdan asserted that Hamas’ leaders and the Syrian government would not be intimidated by Israeli warplanes, which buzzed President Bashar Assad’s residence early yesterday to pressure Damascus to urge the group to release the Israeli.

He added that past experience had shown such actions were ineffective.