Noam Shalit, father of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit met
Thursday afternoon in Jerusalem with Quartet envoy to the Middle East, Tony Blair.
During the meeting Shalit asked Blair to work toward securing a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas that
would see his son returned to Israel.
| Prisoner Exchange Deal |
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| Israel discusses Egyptian proposal; Cairo optimistic / Roni Sofer |
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Prime Minister Olmert, Foreign Minister Livni and Defense Minister Barak meet to review offer for 18-month truce in Gaza, prisoner exchange deal. Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman says 'there are positive signs that an agreement will be reached in the next days' |
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"The Quartet is a key player in the Middle East, and I asked Mr. Blair that, in addition to the pressure he is exerting on Israel to take humanitarian steps for the benefit of the Palestinians in Gaza, he also work diligently to advance the exchange deal and see to it that Gilad is set free from his horrible captivity," Shalit said following the meeting.
"We believe the Quartet has the means and channels – be they direct or indirect – to pressure Hamas."
According to the soldier's father, Blair assured him that he would work toward freeing Gilad and said that an exchange deal was also in the interest of the Palestinians in Gaza, "who have suffered greatly since the abduction."
"We have said in the past that the remaining days of the current government offer a window of opportunity to free Gilad. After that no one knows what will happen," Noam Shalit added.
Gilad Shalit was captured by Palestinian terrorists during a cross-border raid on an IDF base near Gaza on June 25, 2006.
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