Noam Shalit
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Noam Shalit welcomes Goldstone Report findings on son
Father of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit commends UN report on Israeli offensive in Gaza for stating his son must be released, given Geneva Convention-guaranteed POW rights
Noam Shalit, father of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit said Wednesday he welcomes the Goldstone Report findings regarding his son.
The United Nations released its official inquest report into the Israeli offensive in Gaza Tuesday, stating that both Israel and Hamas were guilty of international law infractions, as well as possible war crimes.
The report, compiled by former South African judge Richard Goldstone has been rejected by Jerusalem, which called in "biased and encouraging to terror," and by Hamas, which claimed it is "politically imbalanced."
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Nevertheless, the report did say that Hamas' treatment of Gilad Shalit fails to adhere to international convention guidelines regarding prisoners of war.
Shalit told Ynet that the report stated that his son must be released as soon as possible, "Or at least be given the rights guaranteed by the Third Geneva Convention of 1949, i.e. – be treated in a humane manner, allowed to communicate with the outside world and receive visits form the Red Cross.
"We must be given information about his condition without delay," he added.
Shalit, who met with Goldstone and his committee, said he expects Hamas to uphold the report's recommendations and allow some contact with Gilad. The family, he added, intends to petition the Red Cross once more in order to make sure the group is aware of the report's recommendations.
The family and the committee, however, were at odds as to Gilad's legal status: "I told the committee that Gilad is not a POW, but a hostage who must be released immediately and I had documents to support this claim.
"He must be released not only for humane reasons, but because Article-8 of the Rome Statute clearly states that holding hostages is a war crime," he said.
