Kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit is in good condition and will be set free soon, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said.
In an exclusive interview with Yedioth Aharonoth published Friday, Mubarak also discussed the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
A deal for Shalit's return was on the brink four or five months ago but Israel changed its position and the deal collapsed, Mubarak told the Tel Aviv, Israel, newspaper.
Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Mubarak said meetings are under way between Israeli and Egyptian officials.
The main obstacles to peace are Jerusalem and the right of return for Palestinian refugees, he said. The correct solution for Jerusalem is what was agreed upon by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and the late Palestinian leader Yassar Arafat, he said: East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state and West Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.
Jerusalem's sovereignty must be decided, the Egyptian president said. The refugee issue is mainly psychological, he said, noting a Palestinian who studied, married and raised a family in the United States has no reason to return.
Israel's insistence that it remain a Jewish state is a serious mistake that will only harm it and turn it into a terrorists' target, Mubarak warned.
What is to be done between now and 2SS? | September 17, 2017 |
The settlers will rise in power in Israel's new government | March 14, 2013 |
Israeli Apartheid | March 14, 2013 |
Israel forces launch arrest raids across West Bank | March 14, 2013 |
This Court Case Was My Only Hope | March 14, 2013 |
Netanyahu Prepares to Accept New Coalition | March 14, 2013 |
Obama may scrap visit to Ramallah | March 14, 2013 |
Obama’s Middle East trip: Lessons from Bill Clinton | March 14, 2013 |
Settlers steal IDF tent erected to prevent Palestinian encampment | March 14, 2013 |
Intifada far off | March 14, 2013 |