Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that despite the request made by Hamas, Marwan Barghouti's name will not be included on the list of Palestinian prisoners to be released, in exchange for the freedom of captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.

In an interview with the press, Lieberman said, "There is no plan to release the leader of murderers - a man who has been sentenced to four life terms in jail. From our perspective, there are red lines which cannot be crossed, and this is one of them."

Lieberman also refused the request made by the United States to release hundreds of prisoners with "light" sentences, as a political gesture to the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Abu Mazen, saying, "A release in the past of all kinds of murderers, as a gesture of peace towards the Fatah, did not prove to be beneficial. The Olmert government did just that several times, and the act did not produce any positive results. From our standpoint, that is not going to happen now."

Arutz 7 reported that the "al-Hayat" newspaper published in London published an article this morning providing new details about the most recent offer Israel made to Hamas, in the framework of negotiations for the release of Gilad Shalit.
According to that report, Israel offered the Hamas to provide alternate names of prisoners for some of the names on the list the organization originally presented, from among those sentenced to life in prison.

According Hamas sources who are involved in the negotiation talks with the German mediator, a suggestion was made that the "heavy" Hamas prisoners will be released, but at a later date, after their sentences are considerably shortened.

Hamas officials have confirmed that Marwan Marghouti and Ahmad Saadat will not be released when the deal is implemented, as they "are not Hamas prisoners", but members of the Fatah.