Report: Israel to make prisoner decision

JERUSALEM, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Israel will soon decide whether it will include 50 "heavy" Palestinian prisoners in a possible exchange for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, Arab media says.

The Arab newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi, based in London, quoted unnamed sources Friday saying that Israel will notify Egypt by Sunday of its decision regarding the 50 prisoners, whom the Palestinian militant group Hamas is seeking to free in exchange for the abducted Israeli soldier.

The newspaper said its sources indicated that the Israeli decision will determine if the swap for Shalit will succeed or fail, characterizing the issue of the "heavy" prisoners as the last remaining obstacle to a prisoner exchange.

Al-Quds al-Arabi said that former Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti will not be included in any prisoner exchange, despite his claims to the contrary.

Ynetnews.com also noted that another Arab newspaper based in London, al-Sharq al-Awsat, reported Thursday that Israel is refusing to release imprisoned senior leaders of Hamas for security reasons.

Shalit, 23, was captured June 25, 2006, by Palestinian militants who staged a cross-border raid into Israel and has been held as a prisoner by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since then.