Middle East:Hamas has sent Israel a list of Palestinian prisoners it wants released in return for the freedom of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held since last June, officials said yesterday.
The Israeli government has insisted that Cpl Shalit's release is a prerequisite to progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
The Palestinian list is believed to include Marwan Barghouti, a Fatah leader who was jailed by Israel for his role in the murder of four Israelis and a Greek monk, and around 500 other prisoners.
Ghazi Hamad, a spokesman for the Hamas-led Palestinian government, said: "The big battle will now take place in Israel, because they have problems with releasing prisoners who have blood on their hands or other prisoners for political reasons.
"The Israelis will argue over each name and at what stage they will be released, so this may still take a long time."
Miri Eisen, a spokeswoman for the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, refused to confirm the receipt of the list, adding that the release of Cpl Shalit was a priority for the government but was too sensitive to be discussed publicly.
However, Yitzhak Herzog, an Israeli cabinet minister, said there appeared to have been some progress - but "on the other hand I would be very wary . . . because there is still a long way to go".
Cpl Shalit was abducted during a raid on an Israeli border post just outside the Gaza Strip 10 months ago. Israel initially launched a military operation but eventually turned to diplomacy through Egyptian intermediaries.
Those holding Cpl Shalit, a consortium of groups headed by Hamas, have insisted that Israel release more than 1,000 prisoners from its jails, including women, children and long-serving prisoners.
The shape of the proposed deal has been established by Egyptian diplomats, but there has been no apparent progress for several months. The first stage of the exchange would be the release of a minor group of Palestinian prisoners which would be followed by the transfer of Cpl Shalit to Egyptian custody. Then a larger group of prisoners would be released in return for the transfer of Cpl Shalit to Israel; a further group of important prisoners would be released after a few months.
According to the Israeli media, the Palestinian list is being reviewed by the Shin Bet security agency which will give its recommendations to Mr Olmert. There is a widespread opposition in Israel to releasing Palestinian prisoners who have participated in the killing of Israelis, although some politicians have warned that it may be unavoidable.
Meanwhile, John Sentamu, the Church of England Archbishop of York, yesterday pleaded for the release of Alan Johnston, the BBC Gaza's correspondent kidnapped in Gaza four weeks ago.
"In God's name, please release Alan Johnston. He is not your enemy," the archbishop said. "He is a symbol of ensuring that freedom of the press is not violated - an issue Palestinian journalists are too familiar with after facing routine attacks, harassment and arrests."
- (Guardian service)