Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 18 / Trend A. Tagiyeva /
The release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails is the success of Palestinian policy, which achieved signing of the agreement with Israel, Knesset member from the Arab bloc "National Democratic Union" Hanin Zoabi said.
"Palestine has demonstrated the world that it is able to release its citizens," the expert told Trend over phone on Tuesday. "This is Palestine's successful policy."
MP said that Israel has repeatedly made statements that it will not return Palestinian prisoners. It will achieve the return of Gilad Shalit taken prisoner by Hamas by military means.
However, Palestine's policy forced Israel to exchange a corporal to more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, Zoabi said.
Israeli Army Corporal Gilad Shalit, who was in captive by Hamas since 2006, has been handed over to the Israeli side, Al Jazeera TV channel reported with reference to Israeli television.
Shalit was sent from the Karam Abu Salim checkpoint to the Tel Nof Israeli Air Force Base.
On October 11 HAMAS and Israeli authorities reached an agreement to release Shalit in exchange to the release of 1,027 Palestinians, including 27 women.
The prisoners are to be released in two stages. The first group of 470 prisoners (315 of them are serving life sentences) will leave the prison soon after Shalit is transferred to Israelis, while the rest will be released in two months.
In particular, Israel will deport 40 Palestinians outside the West Bank and Gaza Strip while 163 West Bank's natives will be transported to Gaza.
Answering the question whether there is a guarantee of fulfilling all the points of the agreement by Israel even after Shalit's release, Zoabi said that the agreement is a political document. The refusal from fulfilling any of its items is a violation of the legal norms.
MP also said that the signing of the agreement on prisoner exchange is unlikely to be a step to resume peace talks between Israel and Palestine.
"This agreement is unlikely to have a positive impact on the promotion of peace negotiations between the parties, as the prisoner exchange agreement was signed after long negotiations," the expert said. "We can hardly expect further positive steps that direction."
Israel Defense Forces Corporal Gilad Shalit was captured by Hamas on June 25, 2006. Hamas demanded to release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including their leaders, sentenced to long terms, as well as women and children from Israeli prisons in exchange for Shalit.