CASPER
New member
TULKAREM, West Bank – The most senior Hamas leader being held by Israel was freed Tuesday after serving the bulk of his three-year sentence.
Also Tuesday, an Israeli group said the government has formulated plans to allow the construction of 240 new homes in an unauthorized settlement outpost, a move that would flout a U.S. call for a settlement freeze.
The Hamas-affiliated speaker of the Palestinian parliament, Abdel Aziz Duaik, is one of dozens of Hamas politicians arrested after Gaza Strip militants loyal to the group captured an Israeli soldier in June 2006.
It was unclear whether the release was simply a procedural issue or a precursor to a greater development. However, Hamas has demanded the release of its lawmakers as part of any prisoner swap with Israel.
The soldier, Sgt. Gilad Schalit, will mark three years in captivity on Thursday. Negotiations over a prisoner swap that would trade him for hundreds of Palestinians have stalled.
Palestinians and Israelis demonstrated on either side of the Gaza-Israel border on Tuesday, demanding a prisoner swap.
Also Tuesday, an Israeli group said the government has formulated plans to allow the construction of 240 new homes in an unauthorized settlement outpost, a move that would flout a U.S. call for a settlement freeze.
The Hamas-affiliated speaker of the Palestinian parliament, Abdel Aziz Duaik, is one of dozens of Hamas politicians arrested after Gaza Strip militants loyal to the group captured an Israeli soldier in June 2006.
It was unclear whether the release was simply a procedural issue or a precursor to a greater development. However, Hamas has demanded the release of its lawmakers as part of any prisoner swap with Israel.
The soldier, Sgt. Gilad Schalit, will mark three years in captivity on Thursday. Negotiations over a prisoner swap that would trade him for hundreds of Palestinians have stalled.
Palestinians and Israelis demonstrated on either side of the Gaza-Israel border on Tuesday, demanding a prisoner swap.