Hamas: Barghouti part of prisoner exchange until 'last minute'

Palestinian officials on Thursday jousted over the terms of a prisoner exchange deal agreed between Hamas and Israel. Israel is set to free more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for the release of Israeli solider Gilad Shalit who is captivity in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. But many prominent figures in Israeli jail were left out of the deal, and some 200 of those freed will not be able to return to their homes. On Thursday, sources close to Hamas told Ma'an that Israel reneged on an agreement to release charismatic Fatah leader Marwan Bargouti "at the last minute." Barghouti was part of the release deal "since the beginning of the negotiations," they insisted, until the final exchange terms were concluded on Tuesday. PFLP secretary-general Ahmad Saadat and commanders in Hamas's armed wing Abdullah Barghouthi and Ibrahim Hamed will also remain behind bars. The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, who analysts say has been sidelined by the deal, said Thursday that it was disappointed that the agreement allowed 40 detainees to be exiled overseas and another 163 sent to Gaza. In an interview with France 24 television, PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki called into question the timing of the swap, suggesting Hamas and Israel might have collaborated to embarrass the West Bank government. Long rivals, Hamas and Fatah reached a reconciliation deal in May to end four years of bitter rivalry in which the parties have overseen parallel administrations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. As implementation of the agreement remains under discussion months later, the two factions are vying for popular support among Palestinians. Malki told France 24 the PA is "happy" prisoners will be released, but "very much disappointed" that prisoners from the West Bank will be deported to Gaza, and others abroad. "We are very much disappointed in this part of the deal because we don't want to see any Palestinian being deported from his own territory by a decision taken by his own people," Malki said. "In this case Hamas has taken a decision to agree on the deportation of so many people outside their homes in the West Bank and outside of their homes in Palestine as a whole," he said. Malki said he suspected the long-awaited the deal was designed to steal the limelight of a popular campaign to secure full UN membership, championed by President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas. "What I want to focus here is on the timing," he added, alleging that the deal was linked to Abbas' demand that the United Nations recognize Palestine as a state. "Of course, when the popularity of President Abbas has been rising that high after his speech in the General Assembly delivering our application, one has to question the timing," he said. "Is it really intended to boost the popularity of the Israeli government and Hamas vis-a-vis the Palestinian Authority and President Abbas? That's a really legitimate question to be asked," he said. The prisoners' release is a hugely popular and emotive issue among Palestinians, with families eagerly awaiting the final list of names of detainees to be freed. Thousands of Gaza residents rallied in the coastal enclave on Tuesday to celebrate news of the deal.