Palestinian prisoner swap
Inside Story

Prisoner swap: The winners and losers

Over 1,000 Palestinians will be released from Israeli jails in exchange for Gilad Shalit but what of those who remain?

Five years ago Palestinian fighters launched a raid that ended in the capture of an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit. Their goal was to exchange him for the freedom of some of the thousands of prisoners in Israeli jails.

That swap took place on Tuesday, with 470 Palestinians and the Israeli soldier released in the first stage of a deal mediated by Egypt.

Eventually a total of 1,027 Palestinians will go free. But, despite this, more than 5,000 prisoners remain in Israeli jails.

So who are the winners and losers in this deal? And will it do anything to advance the peace process in the Middle East?

Inside Story, with presenter Hazem Sika, discusses with guests: Colonel Miri Eisin, an analyst and commentator; Mustafa Barghouthi, a Palestinian member of parliament and former Palestinian presidential candidate; and Phyllis Bennis, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies.