Channels

'Abbas didn't lift a finger.' Shalit
Photo: Gil Yohanan

Noam Shalit: Hamas won't release my son

Father of captive soldier not encouraged by reconciliation agreement between Hamas, Fatah, says 'Abbas didn’t lift a finger to help Gilad when he served in Gaza Strip'

With their son in captivity for 1,767 days and counting, the reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas is not the light at the end of the tunnel for Gilad Shalit's family.

 

In a conversation with Ynet, Gilad's father, Noam, expressed little optimism: "There have been agreements like this in the past, and they were not worth the paper on which they were signed," he said.

 

"What I do know is that Hamas doesn't want to release him at the moment, and neither does (Prime Minister) Netanyahu," he added.

 

When asked whether Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad will carry any weight in future negotiations to release Gilad, Shalit noted that on former occasions Abbas opted not to help.

 

"Gilad was in Gaza for a year during the time Abbas served as the head of the authority in the Strip, and he didn’t lift a finger to help him," he noted.

 

Referring to the chances of a breakthrough following the reconciliation between the former Palestinian foes, Shalit said "it is too early to tell and I don’t want to make any speculations.

 

"If and when the agreement is signed between Hamas and Fatah, then we can speculate on whether it will affect Gilad's situation," Noam said.

 

Meanwhile, the campaign to release Shalit continues its efforts to pressure the government to move forward with the deadlocked negotiations.

 

In a statement issued by the campaign headquarters it said, "The headquarters has decided to step up its activities for the speedy release of Gilad Shalit, and is currently focusing on raising the required funds."

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 04.28.11, 00:33
 new comment
Warning:
This will delete your current comment