A Lebanese daily editor who is close to Hizbullah, warned Wednesday that if the swap deal with Israel is not finalized soon, the Shiite movement will increase its asking price for the two Israeli soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, it has held captive since July 2006. "What is clear now is the room to maneuver has been shut completely," Ibrahim al-Amin, the editor in chief of Al-Akhbar newspaper wrote in an article appearing in Wednesday's edition.
"Israel stands before its only opportunity in the coming days, and if it loses it, then the resistance (Hezbollah) will not view itself as obligated to compromise. Rather it will have a chance to enhance its terms in a thousand ways," he added.
On Tuesday, Goldwasser's wife, Karnit, announced that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has promised that the deal with Hizbullah for the release of the two Israeli soldiers it captured will be brought to the cabinet on Sunday. The Israeli Prime Minister confirmed her report on Wednesday. "I decided to bring the issue for the government's approval when it meets on Sunday," Olmert said in parliament on Wednesday.
