The Israeli government reportedly issued Hamas an ultimatum: accept the Israeli list of terrorists for exchange, or Israel will break off the talks.
Under Netanyahu, Barak can offer Hamas slightly less than he could have in Olmert’s government—he probably cannot free the murderers. Like Olmert, Netanyahu wants to confine the released terrorists to Gaza.
Hamas needs the prisoner release to happen before the January elections in order to prove that their tactics are superior to Abbas’. For that very reason Abbas and Obama would rather break the deal.
Hamas, however, would find it very hard to explain to its voters and prisoners why it scaled back its demands for the exchange.
The Shalit topic is rehashed ad absurdum.
Who told us that this hapless soldier is still among the living?