An Israeli forensics team flew to Germany Wednesday as part of preparations for a prisoner swap with the Lebanon-based Hizbullah movement, while a few dozen Arab prisoners held in Israel were packing their bags ahead of their release.
Israel's chief pathologist and a slew of medics and rabbis flew to Germany on board an Israeli Air Force plane to study DNA and blood samples and to verify that Hizbullah is handing over the right bodies. A high ranking Israeli official was quoted by Israel Radio as saying Wednesday Israel will not release a single prisoner on Thursday until the bodies are conclusively identified.
Meanwhile, 23 Lebanese prisoners, including Mustafa Dirani and Sheikh Abdel Karim Obeid, and a few prisoners from other Arab states were packing their bags and donating their electrical appliances to other inmates before leaving.
Later Wednesday, 130 Israeli soldiers were to secure three buses that will take the prisoners to Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, reports said.
Meanwhile, two of the 35 Arab prisoners scheduled for release refused to be incorporated in the exchange deal, Israeli press reports said. Ayid Sanusi, a citizen of Morocco, was arrested in Israel several years ago as an illegal resident was slated for expulsion. Sanusi is refusing to be sent to Lebanon with the other prisoners in the deal.
Also, Haaretz daily said that a second prisoner has refused to go to Lebanon as part of the exchange even though Hizbullah had asked for his release.
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
