Noam Shalit, the father of kidnapped IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit, issued an emotional appeal to his son’s captors Tuesday to free him in return for the release of hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisoners before the beginning of the month of Ramadan.
In a conversation with Arab reporters at the Ambassador Hotel in east Jerusalem, Shalit said the kidnapping affair was causing “hundreds of thousands of innocent Palestinians to suffer due to the military pressure, blockades and destruction the State of Israel was carrying out, on top of hundreds of wounded and dead.”
East Jerusalem press conference (Photo: Dudi Vaknin)
Shalit quoted passages from the Quran which command Muslims to show mercy towards captives. He directed his statements not only to the
kidnappers themselves, but also to those pulling the strings and preventing the prisoner exchange deal – especially Hamas politburo leader base in Damascus Khaled Mashaal.
“I call on the kidnappers whoever they are, in Gaza and in Damascus, to provide generous and moral treatment, including showing a sign of life from the hostage to his mother and father after 80 days in captivity,” Shalit said.
He said he did not feel hopeless regarding his son’s release.
Shalit called on those involved to complete the prisoner exchange deal as soon as possible, so his son and the Palestinian prisoners could go home before the holidays.
“It is less than two weeks before the Jewish High Holidays, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, and the Muslim holidays of Ramadan and Id al-Fitr,” he said.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for both sides, the Palestinians and the Israelis, to end this painful and miserable affair, which has lasted for 80 days and has brought so much suffering not only to our family, but to hundreds of thousands of innocents Palestinians, who are suffering daily from the military pressures since June 25th,” he entreated.
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