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Shalit's father: Gilad begs for his life in new letter
By Barak Ravid and Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondents and The Associated Press
Tags: Gilad Shalit, Khaled Meshal 

The family of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit received on Monday a new sign of life, in the form of a letter, two years after he was kidnapped by Palestinian militants.

Shalit was kidnapped from his IDF post by Gaza militants in a cross-border raid in June 2006.

The one-page letter was identified as having been written by Shalit, and it referred to a number of recent events, which suggest that it was composed recently.
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The abducted soldier's father Noam told Haaretz on Monday that in the letter Gilad begs for his life and requests that efforts be made to secure his release as soon as possible. Noam Shalit refused, however, to reveal any more of the letter's contents.

The letter from the kidnapped soldier was received by fax at the Carter Center in Ramallah on Sunday night, and was then transferred to the Shalit family in Israel.

Hamas' Damascus-based political leader Khaled Meshal told former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in April he would allow the soldier to send his family a letter as a humanitarian gesture.

In its announcement Monday, the Carter Center said that "President Carter and his team will try to arrange the transfer of a letter in response from [Shalit's] parents to Gilad Shalit in the near future."

Noam Shalit also said that the new sign of life is not evidence of any progress in talks to free his son.

"This is better than nothing, but it doesn't relax us, and it doesn't change the fact that Gilad has been in captivity for almost two years and it doesn't look like there is any progress in the contacts for Gilad's release," the soldier's father stated.

Prior to Monday's letter, the Shalits had received two letters and a taped message from Gilad.

A senior Jerusalem source stressed that the transfer of the new sign of life was believed to be part of Hamas' efforts to achieve a cease-fire with Israel in Gaza.

The source added that Hamas is attempting to frame the move as a goodwill gesture, and that the Islamic militant group hopes it will lead Israel to drop its demand that negotiations for Shalit's release be included in talks for a Gaza truce.

Efforts to gain the release of Shalit have been frozen, in part because of a near complete halt in Egyptian mediation. Omar Suleiman, the Egyptian chief of intelligence, told his counterparts in Israel that an agreement for a truce in Gaza would enable the resumption of Egyptian mediation.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni are set to meet on Tuesday to discuss a proposed Egyptian-brokered cease-fire with Gaza militant groups.

Substantial differences between sides on Shalit deal

At this stage the differences between the two sides in negotiations to free Shalit are substantial. Hamas has given Israel a list of 450 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel whom it wants released, but Israel has only approved 70 of those names.

As for the rest of the prisoners, Israel refuses to consider freeing them because it argues they have murdered Israelis.

A member of the Hamas politburo, Mohammed Nizal, said Monday the issue of Shalit is on hold and has not been raised in recent discussions because of Israel's stance, which, he claims, rejects any attempt to reach a solution.

In an interview from Damascus to radio Al-Shams, broadcasting from Nazareth, Nizal rejected reports that there were differences within Hamas that are preventing progress toward a deal on Shalit.

Nizal maintains there is agreement among all Palestinians factions on this issue, adding that the problem "is Israel, where Barak and Livni are preventing progress, and are foiling any attempt to reach agreement on this matter, in an effort, first and foremost, to undermine Prime Minister Ehud Olmert."

The senior Hamas official also said that in the coming days there is no meeting planned between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshal. He also denied reports of an upcoming Meshal visit to Cairo for talks on a possible Shalit deal.

In reference to the internal Palestinian dialogue, Nizal said Hamas was cautious about the declarations being made by the PA president. He said Hamas was not the problem: "We are always ready for dialogue but Abu Mazen [Abbas] is posing preconditions for negotiations that are not leading anywhere."

He also reiterated a Hamas warning to Israel against a possible large-scale incursion into the Gaza Strip: "We do not wish for a military operation in the Gaza Strip but if it happens, we are prepared and Israel will pay a heavy price."



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  • Despite Carter's pledge, Shalit family still awaiting letter from Gilad
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      1.   Free all jailed 11,000 Palestinians 21:33  |  MOE 09/06/08
      2.   Hamas is not a terrorist organization 22:05  |  KMS 09/06/08
      3.   KMS-"Hamas-Liberating Who From What?" 22:32  |  Albert 09/06/08
      4.   Correction Haaretz. 22:37  |  Cool B 09/06/08
      5.   HAMAS IS GREAT, GREAT, GREAT! 22:39  |  Mohamed MALLECK 09/06/08
      6.   KMS - Wow... One gesture... Its means nothing. Hamas will 22:40  |  a 09/06/08
      7.   Right-wing Israel, wanna do some more Carter "bashing"....???? 22:42  |  Swiss (Dino) 09/06/08
      8.   Hamas is a terrorist organization 22:50  |  Lourdes 09/06/08
      9.   re Albert #2 23:03  |  Colin Wright 09/06/08
      10.   Well at least this is news is your country 23:12  |  Aphemia 09/06/08
      11.   Swiss Dino 23:33  |  George Kaplan 09/06/08
      12.   humanitarian hamas 23:37  |  odles 09/06/08
      13.   Israel cannot afford to have Shalit released 23:45  |  Tosefta 09/06/08
      14.   #5 Dino 23:48  |  Chris Linthwaite 09/06/08
      15.   Of course hamas is a terrorist org. Thats why the kidnapped him 00:02  |  Avram 10/06/08
      16.   KMS Hamas not terrorists 00:02  |  Bill H. 10/06/08
      17.   Wow. Carter can moved mountains! Just like when... 00:08  |  Richard S 10/06/08
      18.   Hamas is not a terrorist organization 00:08  |  Isaac Leal 10/06/08
      19.   #1 and #3, are you both retarded??? 00:09  |  DR 10/06/08
      20.   Hamas and Israel Should Stop Using Human Emotions to serve their 00:13  |  Ray 10/06/08
      21.   Hamas is GREAT, GREAT, GREAT-NOT!!! 00:20  |  Albert 10/06/08
      22.   Dino-Carter and Jihad 00:23  |  Albert 10/06/08
      23.   Prisoner Gilad Shalit 00:40  |  A woman 10/06/08
      24.   #1 KMS 00:50  |  Jim 10/06/08
      25.   #3 Mohamed Malleck 01:15  |  Jim 10/06/08
      26.   #5 Swiss Dino 01:37  |  Jim 10/06/08
      27.   #8 Jim -- Thanks 01:43  |  Mohamed MALLECK 10/06/08
      28.   Gilad must be freed from that hellhole! 02:26  |  Free Gilad Shalit 10/06/08
      29.   Policy based on prisoners 02:33  |  ZADOK 10/06/08
      30.   The ball is in your court Israel. 02:42  |  Maureen Ann 10/06/08
      31.   #28 As usual, your premise does not lead to the right conclusion 02:55  |  McQueen 10/06/08
      32.   Hamas are bloodthirsty barbarians 03:01  |  Nechama 10/06/08
      33.   I wonder who mr.peanut head office wrote the letter. 03:04  |  zev 10/06/08
      34.   As a my heart bleeds for the Gilad`ds mother but 04:02  |  lydia 10/06/08
      35.   Negotiation 101 04:06  |  Zealot 10/06/08
      36.   #13 Tosefta 04:09  |  Jim 10/06/08
      37.   Why ???? 04:53  |  A Woman 10/06/08
      38.   Mohamed MALLECK - Most Muslims Are Intelligent People, but you 04:54  |  Moral Not Rocks 10/06/08
      39.   # 34 Negotiation 101 : VERY ELOQUENT! 05:18  |  Mohamed MALLECK 10/06/08
      40.   Hamas and more are terrorist, ask their women 05:38  |  JewGirl 10/06/08
      41.   Carter got a payback with this letter 05:50  |  AngryJewGirl 10/06/08
      42.   go thank carter! 05:51  |  bashar 10/06/08
      43.   What a sad situation 05:59  |  Kate 10/06/08
      44.   Blame Carter, Shame Yourself 06:24  |  Bob 10/06/08
      45.   #7 Swiss(Dino) - Glad you`re excited about the letter... 06:27  |  JP 10/06/08
      46.   Release Palestinian Prisoners 06:43  |  Shahid 10/06/08
      47.   Israel is the terrorirst state not HAMAS 06:45  |  FREE MAN 10/06/08
      48.   LYDIA BRISBANE ..re yor heart bleeds 06:55  |  Axelrod 10/06/08
      49.   10 Aphemia - Matt Maupin No Longer MIA 06:57  |  Mark of Lewiston 10/06/08
      50.   I don`t understand.... 06:58  |  David Cohen 10/06/08
      51.   # 42 unfortunately bob, the point is forever lost... 07:38  |  eric 10/06/08
      52.   #1 Moe 08:18  |  Mae White 10/06/08
      53.   Mohammed 08:20  |  Mae White 10/06/08
      54.   Poor kid is used 08:45  |  Denise 10/06/08
      55.   Hamas afraid of IDF entering Gaza they want status quo 09:02  |  Arthur 10/06/08
      56.   Just a LETTER.....? 09:02  |  Dagma 10/06/08
      57.   A GIFT FROM HAMAS, A GOOD WILL GESTURE 09:20  |  Indrajaya 10/06/08
      58.   Spare us, Mohammed 09:20  |  Linichka 10/06/08
      59.   There`s a very simple answer to Shalit`s detention 09:21  |  Clickfool 10/06/08
      60.   letter is part of a psychological warfare 09:29  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 10/06/08
      61.   # 11 George Kaplan 09:30  |  Swiss (Dino) 10/06/08
      62.   # 14 Chris Linthwaite 09:38  |  Swiss (Dino) 10/06/08
      63.   Release of Gilad Shalit 09:50  |  Barrieg 10/06/08
      64.   # 22 Albert 09:51  |  Swiss (Dino) 10/06/08
      65.   EXCHANGE SHALIT FOR GARTER 09:56  |  MOHAMED 10/06/08
      66.   # 26 Jim 09:56  |  Swiss (Dino) 10/06/08
      67.   #59, fool, it has nothing to do with Olmert`s ego 10:03  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 10/06/08
      68.   #41 Angry Jew Girl 10:06  |  Jim 10/06/08
      69.