2023-11-25 22:06:00
The imminent prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas has brought back to the forefront many previous prisoner exchange deals between Palestinians and Israelis. According to a report prepared by the Arab World News Agency, it is still…
The details of some of these deals are stuck in the minds of many people who have reached old age. They remember Laila Khaled, who tried to hijack an Israeli plane, and they remember Operation “Nawras,” in which dozens of Palestinian detainees were released in exchange for the release of an Israeli soldier, and many other operations and deals.
Below are some of the most prominent events that led to exchange deals between Palestinians and Israelis since the occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem in 1967:
El Al plane hijacking
In July 1968, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacked an Israeli El Al airliner, Flight No. 426. There were regarding 100 passengers on board the Boeing 707, including a number of Israelis, while it was on its way from the airport. Heathrow in London to Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Rome, then to Lod Airport in Israel (currently Ben Gurion Airport).
An Israeli plane belonging to El Al Airlines (archive – Archyde.com)
The plane was hijacked in the air and diverted to Algeria.
Later, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine released the hostages and Israel freed 37 Palestinian women with high sentences through the mediation of the International Red Cross.
Laila Khaled
After the success of the first hijacking, the “Popular Front” repeated the same experience in August 1969, and initially succeeded in hijacking an American TWA airliner, Flight No. 840, heading from Los Angeles to Tel Aviv.
While the plane was flying over the Mediterranean Sea near Greece, Palestinian Leila Khaled, a member of the Popular Front, stormed into the cockpit, picked up the pilot’s headset, and addressed the control tower, saying: “Here is the flight of the Popular Front… Palestine is free and Arab,” and ordered the commander to head to Palestine. .
Laila Khaled (Archive – Archyde.com)
Upon entering Israeli airspace, Israeli fighters moved and surrounded the plane, so the hijackers decided to direct it to the Syrian capital, Damascus.
The Popular Front succeeded in releasing a number of detainees from Israeli prisons, including two Syrian pilots who were forced to make an emergency landing in Israel the previous year as a result of a navigational error.
Despite this deal, the Syrian authorities arrested Laila Khaled, then released her several months later. She went to Jordan and from there to Germany, where she had facial plastic surgery to avoid being identified. There, another El Al plane was hijacked on a flight between Amsterdam and New York in September 1970, and the operation ended with her arrest once more.
The Popular Front decided to free Laila Khaled, so it planned to carry out another plane hijacking, but this time it was a British national. It succeeded in doing so and took the plane to Lebanon, which ultimately led to the release of Laila Khaled.
Shmuel Fayez deal
In 1969, the Fatah movement succeeded in kidnapping the Israeli soldier Shmuel Fayez, and following negotiations that lasted regarding two years, the movement reached an exchange deal with Israel that was implemented in January 1971, under which Israel released the Palestinian Mahmoud Hijazi, and launched the “Fatah” movement. Fatah released the Israeli soldier.
“Nawras” deal
In April 1978, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command succeeded in capturing the Israeli soldier Abraham Amram in an operation it called “Operation Litani.”
The Palestine Liberation Organization, which was headed by Yasser Arafat at the time, entered into negotiations with the Israeli side. To conduct an exchange, which ultimately led to the launch of a deal called the “Seagull Deal” in January 1979, under which the Popular Front – General Command released the Israeli soldier and Israel released 76 Palestinian prisoners.
Mossad spy
Nearly one year later, in February 1980, the Red Cross intervened to reach an exchange agreement between Israel and the Fatah movement, which was demanding the release of Palestinian Mahdi Bseiso.
At that time, Fatah was detaining a Jordanian girl named Amina Al-Mufti, who said she was a spy for the Israeli Mossad. After intense negotiations through the Red Cross, Fatah released the girl, and Israel released Bseiso.
The major exchange
In November 1983, Fatah succeeded in completing an exchange deal that it considered at the time a “great treasure,” in which Israel released 4,700 Palestinians and Lebanese who were in the “Ansar” prison, which Israel had built in southern Lebanon during the occupation there. Dozens of other Israeli prisons were released. In return, Fatah released 6 Israeli soldiers who had been captured in September 1982.
The Popular Front and the Galilee Operation
The Popular Front succeeded once once more in kidnapping three Israeli soldiers, and at that time it considered that it had a “precious catch” in its hands. Negotiations were launched with the Israeli side to complete an exchange deal that was actually concluded in May 1985, at which time Israel released 1,155 Arab prisoners.
Assassination attempt on Khaled Mashal
In 1997, Jordanian security discovered that Khaled Meshal, head of the political bureau of the Hamas movement at the time, had been subjected to a poisoning attempt on Jordanian soil. Jordanian security succeeded in arresting members of the Israeli Mossad participating in the operation.
Khaled Mishal (Archive – Archyde.com)
A media uproar arose, and Jordan refused to release Mossad members without paying a price.
Jordan forced Israel to send the antidote to save Meshaal’s life, and the spiritual leader of Hamas, Ahmed Yassin, was also released from Israeli prisons.
Shalit deal
In June 2006, Hamas succeeded in kidnapping Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit on the Gaza Strip border. Hamas promised at the time that it had a “valuable catch.”
Despite the war launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip at the time, it was unable to reach Shalit’s place of detention, and was forced to engage in exchange negotiations with Hamas that lasted 5 years. In the end, the movement released Shalit in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners, and Hamas called the deal “Loyalty of the Free.”
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