| Israeli minister Eli Yishai is ready to meet exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal to negotiate the release of prisoners held by the group, the Haaretz daily reported on Friday. “I am ready to meet with all necessary Hamas members,” the newspaper quoted the industry minister as telling former US president Jimmy Carter during a meeting this week. Carter was due in Damascus on Friday for talks with Meshaal as part of his Middle East tour to boost the peace process. During a visit to Israel earlier in the week, Carter met the parents of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured by Palestinian militants in June 2006, and pledged to take up calls for his release with Meshaal. |