Palestinian prisoners are threatening to continue abducting soldiers, Hizbullah-fashion, in order to force Israel to release more prisoners, according to the London-based daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat.
Many Palestinian prisoners were taken aback upon discovering their names were not on the list of prisoners designated to be released in the impending prisoner deal with Hizbullah.
Some of the veteran inmates in Israeli prisons threatened to mobilize armed Palestinian factions to abduct Israeli soldiers, explaining that “Ariel Sharon’s government only understands force.” The prisoners issued proclamations warning that factions are prepared to detain “more than one Ron Arad,” and this will be done shortly until Israel is forced to release the prisoners.
The exchange deal slated to take place Thursday evening involves releasing an Israeli businessman and the bodies of three Israeli soldiers. A later stage of the deal may include information on Ron Arad, the Israeli airman missing since 1986 after the Lebanese Amal movement captured him alive and later passed him to Hizbullah.