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The IDF General Staff have recommended a series of gestures to the Palestinian Authority, in order to offset the damage to its standing wrought by the Shalit deal. These would include releasing additional prisoners affiliated with the Fatah organisation and possibly transferring parts of Area B in the West Bank to full Palestinian control. A number of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s advisers and senior cabinet ministers are opposed to the IDF proposals, arguing that because of the Palestinian bid for UN recognition of statehood Israel ought to avoid gestures of this sort.

The IDF, however, considers these gestures necessary to help PA President Mahmoud Abbas regain the advantage in his ongoing struggle with Hamas to represent the Palestinian people. One of the IDF’s proposals relates to the second stage of the Shalit deal, in which Israel will free another 550 prisoners of its own choosing. While the list has not yet been drawn up, it seems that most will be low-level terrorists belonging to Abbas’ Fatah party. The army also proposes that Israel release additional prisoners beyond these 550 as a gesture to Abbas in honour of Id al-Adha, the Muslim holiday that falls in two weeks.

In a further development related to the Shalit prisoner exchange, Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Opposition leader Tzipi Livni have made public statements, expressing differing viewpoints. Barak dismissed the idea that the deal had harmed Israel’s deterrence, but he called for a new approach that would ‘balance’ the Israeli desire to free captives with what he called ‘more comprehensive’ national interests. The defence minister said that a new approach would be more in line with the policies followed by ‘the US, Britain and Australia.’ All these countries adhere to a policy of avoiding publicity when hostages are taken, and offering minimal or no concessions to terrorist organisations in order to free hostages. Barak noted that he had appointed a commission headed by former Supreme Court Judge Meir Shamgar in 2008 in order to determine guidelines whereby Israel would deal with future cases of soldiers taken hostage. The commission has reached its conclusions, which are due to be presented to the prime minister and defence minister within the next two weeks.

Livni, for her part, made an unambiguous statement of opposition to the Shalit deal. She said that she was opposed to the deal because in her view it strengthened Hamas and gave it legitimacy, and resulted in a decline in Israeli deterrence. Livni also hinted that those opposed to a peace deal with the Palestinians might welcome the deal precisely because it strengthened Hamas. The opposition leader said, however, that she had remained silent with her criticisms when the deal went public at the request of Zvi Shalit, grandfather of Gilad Shalit.