Israel's prime minister is trying to temper expectations that a deal to free a long-held Israeli soldier is imminent. Officials in Israel and the Gaza Strip have recently reported progress toward clinching a deal to swap Sgt. Gilad Schalit for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in Jerusalem Tuesday there still is no deal and he does not know if there will be one.
Schalit has been held for more than three years by activists affiliated with Gaza's Islamic Hamas rulers. Trade Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer said earlier Tuesday that Israel and Hamas were closer than ever to closing a deal. A Hamas delegation is in Egypt meeting with the German official trying to finalize an agreement. SAPA |
