Haniya:Prisoner swap a turning point in the nature of the conflict

The leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniya said on Tuesday that completing the prisoner swap between the Palestinians and Israel represented a strategic turning point in the nature of the Palestinian - Israeli conflict. Addressing a large crowd of Palestinians who gathered to celebrate the freedom of more than 400 Palestinian prisoners who were released from Israeli jails earlier in the day in exchange for the freedom of abducted Israeli soldier Jilaat Shalit, who has been in the hands of Hamas for more than five year, Haniya said Shalit was tightly guarded throughout the duration, adding "for the purpose of liberating these heroes, we put our divisions behind our backs." "We have entered into a unity for the sake of these heroes from different factions," he said, noting that people in non-Hamas factions, like Fatah and Islamic Jihad, were freed. "Some people described what Hamas did as an adventure that does not merit what Gaza went through. But I tell you now these heroes deserve any adventure, risk-taking to bring them back." Hamas leader-in-exile Khaled Meshaal, speaking in Cairo, said the "victory is a result of the negotiation that was led by Hamas." The ability to hide Gilad Shalit in Gaza for five years is something to be proud of. The Palestinian security mind has defeated the Israeli security mind, which is supported by all the rest of the world," Meshaal said. Meshaal said more prisoners could have been "liberated" with more time. "We would have kept on negotiating. But we have realized this is the ceiling we can get to."