It is horrifying that Israel is willing to reward radical Hamas but not freeze settlements in the occupied territories.

Aspects of a conflict: the prisoner exchange

By Daoud Kuttab

If there were a case that could illustrate the disagreement between Israel and the Palestinians, the Shalit prisoner exchange deal could be the one.

Various aspects of any such exchange, and the way different issues are being spun politically, are illustrative.

Legally, Israel refuses to recognise the over 10,000 prisoners it is holding as being prisoners of war. Nor does it accept that these prisoners deserve the title of “protected individuals”, to which the Geneva Convention applies. The convention regulates how an occupying power is supposed to deal with civilians under its occupation. Israel does not accept that it is an occupying power.
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"It is horrifying that Israel is willing to reward radical Hamas but not freeze settlements in the occupied territories." http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/israels-gamble-in-a-prisoner-swap/?ref=middleeast#daoud New York Times Blog Room for Debate: An Absurd Situation by Daoud Kuttab, Palestinian journalist and a former Ferris professor of journalism at Princeton University.