Noam Shalit: Freeing Palestinian prisoners not working in Gilad's favor

Kidnapped soldier's father slams PM Olmert's recent gesture to Abbas, says 'Hamas has only doubled and tripled its demands'. Shlomo Goldwasser: Government gave up on Gilad

Goel Beno
Published: 11.18.08, 09:22 / Israel News

"So far the release of Palestinian prisoners has not led to any positive reaction from Hamas regarding Gilad's release," Noam Shalit said Monday after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Israeli would release an additional 250 Fatah prisoners in honor of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

Goodwill Gesture

Israel to free 250 Palestinian prisoners / Roni Sofer

Prime Minister Olmert meets with Palestinian President Abbas in Jerusalem, informs him Jewish state will release Fatah inmates as goodwill gesture in honor of Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. All prisoners freed will be forced to sign commitment not to return to terror

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"On the contrary, Hamas has doubled and tripled its demands time after time," the kidnapped soldier's father was quoted as saying by Yedioth Ahronoth as saying. "The necessary conclusion is that the release of Palestinian prisoners is not working in Gilad's favor.

The father of slain Israeli soldier Ehud Goldwasser, whose body was returned to Israel last July in the framework of an exchange deal with Hizbullah, said the government "has decided to sacrifice Gilad and give up.

"There is no real intention to work toward Gilad's release because (the government) does not want to pay the price (of returning him to Israel)," Shlomo Goldwasser said.

"There are a thousand different ways to free him; all we need to do is act appropriately. The question is whether Gilad's release is at the top of the State's agenda, and the answer is no. If they (government) had really wanted to, Gilad could have been freed a day after his abduction. If it was up to me, I wouldn't release one Palestinian prisoner without a deal for Gilad's release."

Gilad Shalit was kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists during a cross-border raid on an IDF base near Gaza on June 25, 2006. Two weeks earlier IDF reservists Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were captured by Hizbullah gunmen while patrolling the northern border.

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