Hamas Now Threatening To Brutally Execute Shalit Unless Israel Releases 350 Ultra-Violent Terrorists (Plus: "Road Map Could Become Map Of Bloodshed")

The gentle darlings to whom Israel is expected to cede territory have now adopted charming phrases like "negotiate over Shalit's bones." You can really just feel the peace:

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is scheduled to visit Qatar on Sunday in a bid to seek the release of the kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, local daily Yedioth Aharonoth reported Tuesday. The planned visit came after a senior Hamas official threatened to negotiate over Shalit's bones if Israel turns down the group's demand to free 350 Palestinian prisoners. Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy leader of Hamas' political bureau, issued the death threat in an interview with Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas, according to Israeli daily Ha'aretz.

Hamas has had full control of Shalit - sophisticated theories to the contrary notwithstanding - since at least last July. This is presumably the prisoners list that came out in February and that includes Barghouti and Saadat. Which would basically be the same list that came out last June. Which we still don't think Olmert has the political capital to pull off. But he's currently caught up in an increasingly desperate train-careening-off-the-tracks spiral of concessions - so who knows what miraculous stunts he could pull?

The great thing about this particular concession is how it would totally collapse Abbas and set the Middle East on fire. Israel is already balancing the potential release of Palestinian terrorists by giving more guns to other Palestinian terrorists:

Their release from prison could be interpreted in the territories as a divine miracle, a wonder that only takes place once every several generations, and Khaled Mashaal would become a legend in his life... those who succeed in freeing prisoners, no matter how, are immediately crowned as leaders and win public fame... the scope and nature of Hamas' victory rallies would be easy to predict. And when these celebrations reach their peak, they could sweep the Palestinians masses in the direction of some of the PA's strongholds in the West Bank... the days that would follow the "grand release" as it is called, could have a catastrophic effect on the entire region. The Road Map could become the Map of Bloodshed. It is not for nothing that Fatah's leaders in the West Bank have demanded from Abbas to boost forces in the area. The United States and Israel have already promised Abbas... arms and munitions, armored cars and hundreds of trained soldiers in order to prevent him from becoming a de facto exiled leader.

Aside from all of the stuff about PA corruption and Abbas's true intentions and Hamas weapons using the weapons - isn't there something deeply perverse about arming ostensibly vetted Palestinian police officers to balance out an already crappy deal involving Shalit? Given how some of Shalit's kidnappers were ostensibly vetted Palestinian police officers?

References:
* Israeli FM to visit Qatar for release of kidnapped soldier [Xinhua]
* Army of Islam says Shalit now solely under control of Hamas [Ha'aretz]
* Hamas Announces Names of Jihadists It Wants Exchanged for Gilad Shalit [Holger Awakens]
* Hamas Still Demanding Ahmed Saadat Prisoner Release. MR Still Doesn't Think Olmert Can Do It. [MR]
* Hamas under pressure [YNet]
* Abbas Aide Caught In Corruption Scandal (Plus: Whatever Happened To Transparency?) [MR]
* State Dept: Sure Abbas Just Promised To Attack Israelis. How About We Give Him $25 Million For New Weapons? [MR]
* Hamas Using US Weapons To Kill Israelis [MR]
* Shalit Kidnappers Were Palestinian Authority Employees [MR]