8:24AM IL: With the Sunday morning weekly cabinet meeting only hours away, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is not disclosing his intentions, not releasing his plans regarding the critical vote which is expected today, Sunday.

Olmert has not signaled his ministers if he will vote in favor of or oppose the proposed prisoner exchange deal, which demands Israel release arch terrorist Samir Kuntar and a number of other Hizbullah prisoners, as well as the bodies of a number of terrorists and according to most reports, 600-1,000 other terrorists from PA autonomous areas. This based on the premise that the soldiers are no longer alive, resulting in the controversy surrounding the deal which carried a very high price, trading live prisoners and bodies for the return of two bodies, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.

There are many arguments for and against the deal, but perhaps the emotions of the families of the captive soldiers, a wife, parents, siblings, will compel the ministers to raise their hands in support of the deal, all well-aware that if the opportunity is missed, Hizbullah will most likely raise its price in a second round, assuming there will be a second opportunity.

It is important to note that to date, there has never been a prisoner exchange deal approved that did not enjoy the support of the prime minister.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)