Last update - 00:00 10/06/2007
Red Cross head: Captured IDF soldiers are at top of our agenda
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent
The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced over the weekend that the safe return of the three kidnapped Israel Defense Forces Soldiers is a top priority for the organization. He criticized the Hezbollah and the Palestinian factions for failing to divulge information regarding the soldiers' whereabouts.
Gilad Shalit was kidnapped by Palestinian militants on June 26, 2006 near the Gaza border. Ehud Golwasser and Eldad Regev were kidnapped by Lebanese Hezbollah militants near the northern border on July 12, 2006, sparking the two-month Second Lebanon War.
Several days prior to his meeting with Goldwasser's mother, International Red Cross President Jakob Kellenberger, in a rare statement, said that his organization is making every effort to bring about the soldiers' release.
Miki Golwasser, Ehud's mother, is scheduled to meet with top Red Cross officials in Geneva on Monday.
Red Cross heads in Lebanon are perpetually maintaining contact with Hezbollah representatives in order to obtain information on the two abducted soldiers, and formulate an educated independent opinion regarding their condition. The organization has also communicated with representatives of the Palestinian groups holding Shalit.
Up until now, the militant groups have denied the Red Cross requests to deliver letters to and from the kidnapped soldiers. Kellenberger said Friday that he does not accept no for an answer. He added that organizations that are not states must also abide by international humanitarian laws. He added that he expects the kidnappers to supply a sign of life from the abducted soldiers.
"In Lebanon and in Gaza, we have called on those holding the soldiers to treat them with humanity, abide by international humanitarian law and allow them to contact their families," Kellenberge said.