Palestinians rip Hamas on prisoner swap

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Some Palestinians criticized Hamas yesterday for conceding too much in its deal to swap a captured Israeli soldier for more than a thousand Palestinian inmates.

Much of the criticism has come from officials who are loyal to Fatah, Hamas' bitter rival for control over the Palestinians. \

Yet it appears to reflect a deeper unease over whether the price Palestinians paid for Schalit's capture was too high.

Critics of the deal are disappointed that some of the most prominent prisoners will not be released and that hundreds may be deported or not allowed to return to their homes.

The Palestinian criticism is a stunning turn, considering Gaza's Hamas rulers pulled off the most lopsided prisoner exchange in Israel's history.

In the Egyptian-mediated deal, Hamas will exchange Sgt. Gilad Schalit for 1,027 Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons in two phases. Schalit has been held for five years.

They include some 300 prisoners serving life sentences for involvement in deadly attacks on Israelis such as suicide bombings in buses and bars. For Palestinians, that is considered a Hamas achievement because the Jewish state has historically balked at releasing those responsible for killing Israelis.

The criticism has come as details emerge of the deal.

A Hamas official said that 178 of the 450 Palestinians to be freed in the first phase of the swap will not be allowed to return to their homes in the West Bank, Gaza or east Jerusalem, suggesting a substantial number may face deportation.