Speaking to reporters in France on Tuesday, Noam Shalit called for his son’s release and pleaded with his captors in Gaza to show proof that he is still alive. Gilad Shalit was kidnapped in June 2006 by Hamas-affiliated gunmen in a cross-border raid.
| Israeli Pressure |
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| 'No more aid to Gaza until we know about Gilad' / Ilana Curiel |
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Thousands expected to partake in rally near Kerem Shalom on Sunday in protest of decision to allow supplies into Gaza while negotiations for Shalit stagnated. 'It's unacceptable to see goods and money and food being sent across when we don't even know if Gilad is alive,' says organizer |
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“Like you did for Ingrid Betancourt, I ask you to mobilize for my son who also has French nationality,” Shalit said at a news conference organized by a French support committee for Shalit.
Betancourt, a former Colombian presidential candidate who also has French citizenship, was rescued by the Colombian army in July after being held in the jungle by the leftist FARC guerrilla for more than six years.
Shalit thanked French President Nicolas Sarkozy for his efforts in trying to win his son’s release.
Shalit with French pop-star Patrick Bruel (Photo: AFP)
“We must act quickly,” Shalit said at the news conference. “This is why I am making an appeal to the kidnappers. I ask them to provide indisputable proof that he is alive.”
Betancourt herself has taken up Shalit's cause, saying she thinks of his fate constantly. "People all over the world should work for the release of Gilad Shalit. If we adopt globalization for financial goals, the struggle for the release of kidnapped people should also be global," she said in a recent interview.
"If people all over the world work for Gilad Shalit's release, he will be freed," she added.
Hamas wants hundreds of Palestinian prisoners freed in exchange for Shalit. Noam Shalit said negotiations between Hamas and Israel mediated by Egypt have stalled.
French pop star Patrick Bruel, who appeared alongside Shalit at the news conference, also appealed for greater mobilization in the soldier’s favor in France. “The mobilization has not been what it should be so far,” Bruel said.
Earlier this month a French public relations firm launched a new campaign to promote public interest in Shalit's case.
AFP contributed to this report
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