Israeli-Palestinian Prisoner Swap Welcomed

The Prime Minister has expressed relief as the first phase of the proposed Israeli and Palestinian prisoner swap goes ahead in the Middle East.

Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was handed over to Israeli officials in Egypt, as part of a prisoner swap deal between Hamas and the Israel Government on Tuesday morning.

The release resulted in 477 Palestinian prisoners being set free by Israel to Gaza and elsewhere. Another 550 are expected to be released in a second phase.

"I know that people across Britain will share in the joy and relief felt by Gilad Shalit and his family today," Mr Cameron said on Tuesday. "I can only imagine the heartache of the last five years, and I am full of admiration for the courage and fortitude which Sergeant Shalit and his family have shown through his long cruel and unjustified captivity."

Mr Cameron congratulated Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for bringing home Sergeant Shalit safely.

"Britain will continue to stand by Israel in defeating terrorism. We remain strongly committed to the cause of peace in the Middle East – with Israel and a Palestinian state living side by side in security.

"We will continue to work for direct negotiations to achieve that end," he said.

The swap, in which a total of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners are to be released in return for Shalit's freedom, began a day after Israel's Supreme Court rejected appeals to halt the deal.

According to Middle Eastern news service Aljazeera, a number of factors led to the agreement, with the post-Tahrir Square Egyptian government playing a significantly new role in the region.

Turkey, similarly, has played a more intensive regional role in support of Palestinian rights following its dispute with Israel over the Gaza flotilla raid in 2010.

An editorial by Phyllis Bennis, a Fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies and the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam, also on Aljazeera, said the Israeli leader's dwindling popularity at home also contributed to the decision, as activists for Shalit's release became increasingly vocal as Israeli elections approach in the next year or so.

(DW/BMcC)