Disillusioned. Shalit
Photo: AP
Noam Shalit: Olmert's negotiations reduced to cattle trade
Father of kidnapped IDF soldier criticizes outgoing government's efforts to free his son, says former PM 'wasn’t the type to make hard decisions.' He adds he expects Netanyahu 'to bring the matter to its end soon'
"We, like the rest of Israel, expect Gilad to come home and immediately so," Noam Shalit, the father of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, said Wednesday.
Speaking of the outgoing government's failure to retrieve his son from Hamas captivity, he added that "unfortunately, this whole thing has turned into a cattle trade, instead of remaining a top national priority. All we heard were statements about changing stances and toughening stands.
Stalling?
Gaza leaders closely watching change of government in Israel, estimate that there will be no development on Shalit affair during Netanyahu's years in office
"The outgoing government didn’t have what it takes to finish this and except for general reports about the government's red lines, the ministers were never really asked to make a decision."
Olmert's concern for his son's welfare, as expressed in his farewell address at the Knesset Tuesday, offered no comfort for Shalit: "I care less about the photos his said were hanging in his office and more about the honest efforts to bring Gilad home, and those, I'm afraid, were just a series of failures. Too little action was taken."
Noam Shalit is not familiar with the majority of the new ministers. He met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu several times in his capacity as leader of the opposition.
"My message to the new government is that something has to be done now, before it is too late. This government does not have a 100-day grace period, nor does it have a year. Any day Gilad remains in captivity risks his life. We will follow the prime minister's moves in the next few days and then decide what to do."
According to Shalit, French President Nicolas Sarkozy is also forging on with his efforts to facilitate the release of his son, who holds a dual Israeli-French nationality.
Sarkozy's efforts are done under political and regional constraints, he said, adding that he had no further information on the negotiations.
Gilad Shalit has been in Hamas captivity for 1,011 days.
