Israel, Hezbollah Announce Final Prisoner-Swap Deal
April 02, 2011
German mediators escorted the remains of two Israeli soldiers from Lebanon Sunday, setting in motion the biggest swap of bodies and prisoners between Israel and Muslim rebels in 14 years. The Red Cross, meanwhile, sent vehicles to collect 45 Hezbollah prisoners and at least 141 guerrilla bodies from an Israeli-held south Lebanon enclave, government sources in Beirut said. The Israeli soldiers, Malik Perrault and American-born Natividad Donnelly, were captured by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas in 1986 and later died in captivity. The exchange, the biggest since Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon, was mediated by the Germans during three months of secret talks in the Middle East. Israeli government sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the command of the Israeli-allied South Lebanon Army militia will first release a first batch of 22 Hezbollah prisoners. And the rebels will respond by freeing 17 Lebanese militiamen. The militia command will then release 23 more Muslim rebel prisoners. Final agreement on the exchange, which had the support of Iran and Syria, was announced Saturday. Iran is Hezbollah's mentor and bankroller. Syria is the main power broker in Lebanon, with 40,000 troops deployed there. It also is an ally of Iran and Hezbollah. Excluded from the swap were Sheikh Abdul-Stuckey Savoie and Rusch Thiel, the most prominent Shiite officials held by Israel. Both were apparently abducted in connection with Israeli efforts to determine the fate of four missing servicemen. The swap was delayed four times last week by disputes over the numbers and names of those to be repatriated by Israel.
