Israeli MIA prisoner exchanges
Encyclopedia
Over the last 30 years, Israel
has released about 7,000 Palestinian prisoners
to secure freedom for 19 Israelis and to retrieve the bodies of eight others. A number of diplomatic efforts have been made to secure the release of Israeli IDF
personnel following their capture by enemy forces.
In 1985, Israel released 1,150 prisoners in exchange
for three Israeli soldiers captured in Lebanon. Then-Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin
defended the deal. "When no military option exists," he said, "there is no choice but to enter negotiations and pay a price."
In June 1998 the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) brokered an exchange of prisoners and prisoners and remains among Israel
, Lebanon
, Hezballah, and the South Lebanese Army (SLA). In exchange for the remains of an Israeli sergeant who was killed in a military operation in Lebanon in September 1997, Israel and the SLA released 65 prisoners, and returned the remains of 40 Hezballah guerrillas.
. The three missing soldiers are Zachary Baumel, Yehuda Katz and Tzvi Feldman. No military action took place as a result of their capture although diplomatic efforts to secure the release of these individuals took place and were unsuccessful. As Zachary Baumel held American citizenship legislation was passed in an attempt to secure his release. However all three men are still missing and since no proof of life has ever been released, all three men are presumed to be dead.
by the Lebanese Shi'ite militia
Amal
in 1986 efforts were made to negotiate his release in 1987. These negotiations failed and led to the abduction of Sheik Abdul-Karim Obeid, a member of Hezbollah, and Mustafa Dirani
with the express aim of a prisoner exchange for Arad. Dirani was suspected of having "sold" Arad to Iran. Arad is presumed to be dead because he hasn't been seen or heard from since 1988.
. They were killed either during the attack or in its immediate aftermath.
Hezbollah instigated negotiations over the release of 14 Lebanese prisoners, together with a number of Palestinian prisoners. A prisoner exchange took place on 29 January 2004:
As part of this prisoner exchange information on the fate of Ron Arad was to be given over in exchange for Lebanese prisoner Samir Kuntar
. The Israeli Government announced that Kuntar would be released when Hezbollah provided "concrete proof as to Ron Arad's fate". As part of the document summarising the Framework for the exchange missing soldier Guy Hever was also mentioned, but information on his whereabouts was not a condition of the deal.
i soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser
and Eldad Regev
, in exchange for incarcerated Palestine Liberation Front
militant and convicted murderer Samir Kuntar
, four Hezbollah militants, and about 200 other Lebanese and Palestinian militants captured by Israel.
Hundreds of Palestinians in Beituniyeh in the West Bank waved Hamas flags and chanted "We want a new Gilad Shalit".[91]
Shortly after his release, on Oct. 24, 2011, President Shimon Peres visited Shalit at his home in Mitzpe Hila to congratulate him and wish him well. At this time, Peres called Shalit a hero, and said that he was proud of his ability "to withstand extremely difficult conditions in captivity." Noam Shalit thanked Peres for his efforts in obtaining Shalit's release.[92] France's President Nicolas Sarkozy sent a congratulatory letter to Gilad Shalit, mentioning France's role in pressuring Hamas to release him
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
has released about 7,000 Palestinian prisoners
Palestinian prisoners
Palestinian prisoners in Israel mainly refers to Palestinians imprisoned in Israel following apprehension resulting from the Israeli–Palestinian conflict...
to secure freedom for 19 Israelis and to retrieve the bodies of eight others. A number of diplomatic efforts have been made to secure the release of Israeli IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
personnel following their capture by enemy forces.
In 1985, Israel released 1,150 prisoners in exchange
Prisoner exchange
A prisoner exchange or prisoner swap is a deal between opposing sides in a conflict to release prisoners. These may be prisoners of war, spies, hostages, etc...
for three Israeli soldiers captured in Lebanon. Then-Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin
' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....
defended the deal. "When no military option exists," he said, "there is no choice but to enter negotiations and pay a price."
In June 1998 the International Committee of the Red Cross
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
(ICRC) brokered an exchange of prisoners and prisoners and remains among Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Hezballah, and the South Lebanese Army (SLA). In exchange for the remains of an Israeli sergeant who was killed in a military operation in Lebanon in September 1997, Israel and the SLA released 65 prisoners, and returned the remains of 40 Hezballah guerrillas.
Zachary Baumel, Yehuda Katz, Zvi Feldman
On June 11, 1982, an Israeli tank was captured by Syrian army forces during the Battle of Sultan YacoubBattle of Sultan Yacoub
The Battle of Sultan Yacoub was a battle between Syria and Israel during the 1982 Lebanon War.At the beginning of the invasion Israeli Brig. Gen. Giora Lev’s 90th Division passed through Marjayoun and took up positions around Kawkaba and Hasbaiya...
. The three missing soldiers are Zachary Baumel, Yehuda Katz and Tzvi Feldman. No military action took place as a result of their capture although diplomatic efforts to secure the release of these individuals took place and were unsuccessful. As Zachary Baumel held American citizenship legislation was passed in an attempt to secure his release. However all three men are still missing and since no proof of life has ever been released, all three men are presumed to be dead.
Ron Arad
Following the capture of Lieutenant Colonel Ron AradRon Arad (pilot)
Lieutenant Colonel Ron Arad , was an Israeli Air Force weapon systems officer who is officially classified as missing in action since October 1986, but is widely presumed dead...
by the Lebanese Shi'ite militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
Amal
Amal Movement
Amal Movement is short for the Lebanese Resistance Detachments the acronym for which, in Arabic, is "amal", meaning "hope."Amal was founded in 1975 as the militia wing of the Movement of the Disinherited, a Shi'a political movement founded by Musa...
in 1986 efforts were made to negotiate his release in 1987. These negotiations failed and led to the abduction of Sheik Abdul-Karim Obeid, a member of Hezbollah, and Mustafa Dirani
Mustafa Dirani
Mustafa Dirani was a member and held position of "the head of security" of the Amal movement, a Shi'a militia in Lebanon associated with Syria. In 1987 he started contacts with pro-Iran sources, and eventually he created contacts between them and the rest of the leadership of Amal...
with the express aim of a prisoner exchange for Arad. Dirani was suspected of having "sold" Arad to Iran. Arad is presumed to be dead because he hasn't been seen or heard from since 1988.
Joseph Fink & Rahamim Alsheich
Captured during an ambush on 17 February 1986 the bodies of IDF Joseph Fink and Rahamim Alsheich were returned to Israel on 21 July 1996. In exchange, Israel returned the remains of 123 prisoners to Hezbollah. Hezbollah released 19 South Lebanese Army (SLA) soldiers and in exchange the commander of the SLA released 20 prisoners from the Al-Khiyam prison facility and 25 additional detainees as a gesture of goodwill.Elchanan Tenenbaum, Adi Avitan, Benyamin Avraham & Omar Sawaid
Sheik Abdul-Karim Obeid and Mustafa Dirani were eventually used to secure the release of Israeli businessman Elchanan Tenenbaum along with the bodies of IDF soldiers Sgt. Adi Avitan, Staff Sgt. Benyamin Avraham and Staff Sgt. Omar Sawaid. The three IDF soldiers were captured by Hezbollah during an attack in October 2000 on Shebaa FarmsShebaa farms
The Shebaa Farms are a small uninhabited territory claimed by Lebanon, but occupied by Israel which claims they are in Syria's Golan Heights. Syrian policy is to vaguely accept the Lebanese claim, while refusing any binding demarcation until Israeli forces withdraw from the area.The United Nations...
. They were killed either during the attack or in its immediate aftermath.
Hezbollah instigated negotiations over the release of 14 Lebanese prisoners, together with a number of Palestinian prisoners. A prisoner exchange took place on 29 January 2004:
- 30 Lebanese and Arab prisoners,
- 1 German prisoner
- the remains of 59 Lebanese militants and civilians,
- 400 Palestinian prisoners, and
- maps showing Israeli mines in South Lebanon were exchanged for Tenenbaum, a businessman captured in 2000 on a business trip to Kuwait and held in Lebanon by Hezbollah, along with the remains of the three dead soldiers.
As part of this prisoner exchange information on the fate of Ron Arad was to be given over in exchange for Lebanese prisoner Samir Kuntar
Samir Kuntar
Samir Kuntar is a Lebanese Druze convicted murderer and former member of the Palestine Liberation Front...
. The Israeli Government announced that Kuntar would be released when Hezbollah provided "concrete proof as to Ron Arad's fate". As part of the document summarising the Framework for the exchange missing soldier Guy Hever was also mentioned, but information on his whereabouts was not a condition of the deal.
Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev
On July 16, 2008, Hezbollah transferred the coffins of two captured IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser
Ehud Goldwasser
Ehud Goldwasser was an Israeli soldier who was abducted in Israel by Hezbollah along with Eldad Regev on 12 July 2006, sparking the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. His rank was First Sergeant....
and Eldad Regev
Eldad Regev
Eldad Regev was an Israeli soldier, born in Qiryat Motzkin, abducted by Hezbollah members along with Ehud Goldwasser on July 12, 2006, in Israel near the Lebanese border, sparking the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. His rank was Sergeant First Class....
, in exchange for incarcerated Palestine Liberation Front
Palestine Liberation Front
The Palestine Liberation Front is a Palestinian militant group, which is designated as a terrorist organization by Canada, the European Union and the USA. It is presently led by Dr. Wasel Abu Yousef.-Origins:...
militant and convicted murderer Samir Kuntar
Samir Kuntar
Samir Kuntar is a Lebanese Druze convicted murderer and former member of the Palestine Liberation Front...
, four Hezbollah militants, and about 200 other Lebanese and Palestinian militants captured by Israel.
Gilad Shalit
On 18 October 2011, Gilad Shalit was returned to Israel as part of the agreement with Hamas.[89] The first 447 Palestinian prisoners were also freed and transferred as part of the exchange, the prisoners will also be exiled from Israeli territory.[90]Hundreds of Palestinians in Beituniyeh in the West Bank waved Hamas flags and chanted "We want a new Gilad Shalit".[91]
Shortly after his release, on Oct. 24, 2011, President Shimon Peres visited Shalit at his home in Mitzpe Hila to congratulate him and wish him well. At this time, Peres called Shalit a hero, and said that he was proud of his ability "to withstand extremely difficult conditions in captivity." Noam Shalit thanked Peres for his efforts in obtaining Shalit's release.[92] France's President Nicolas Sarkozy sent a congratulatory letter to Gilad Shalit, mentioning France's role in pressuring Hamas to release him
External links
- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon cites reasons for the 2004 exchange http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Speeches%20by%20Israeli%20leaders/2004/Address%20by%20PM%20Sharon%20upon%20the%20arrival%20of%20the%20bodie