Noam Shalit slams Israel for 'grave failures' in talks to free son
'A country that rescued thousands of earthquake victims in Haiti should be capable of saving a single soldier,' says father of Gilad Shalit, captured by Hamas in 2006.
By Haaretz Service Tags: Israel news Gilad Shalit
The father of an Israeli soldier capture by Hamas militants four years ago lashed out at the government on Sunday, accusing the state of "grave failures" in its fruitless efforts to free his son.
 |
Noam Shalit, father of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit |
| Photo by: Daniel Bar-On |
"A country that rescued thousands [of earthquake victims] in Haiti should know how to save one of its soldiers," Noam Shalit told a lawyers' conference in the southern city of Eilat.
Israel was capable of sending rescue teams thousands of miles to the Caribbean, but had failed to retrieve a soldier in imprisoned just a few miles from its borders, Shalit said.
Gilad Shalit has been in Hamas captivity since he was snatched in a cross-border raid launched from the Gaza Strip in 2006. The last sign of life that Hamas has given of the soldier was a video clip in September, in which Shalit addressed his family and held up a copy of a newspaper to prove the date of flming.
Israel has conducted extensive negotiations with Hamas over a proposed swap deal but has so far been unwilling to meet the group's demands to free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
In the past, senior government members, including Defense Minister Ehud Barak, have warned Noam Shalit that a high-profile media campaign for Gilad could weaken Israel's position in talks for an exchange.
On Sunday the soldier's father rejected those claims.
"We will not accept the cliché that our actions are upsetting negotiations to free Gilad and we will not accept this wheeler-dealing over the life of our son," he said.
Earlier this week, pro-Palestinian activists attempting to sail to Gaza in defiance of an Israeli blockade rebuffed Shalit's offer to intercede with the government on their behalf if they would deliver a package to his son.
"Gilad is crying loudly for us to return him to freedom," Shalit said on Sunday. "He has paid in full the price that the state demanded of him."
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
I feel for the Shalit's but a fair offer is on the table to Hamas; while they dither there are hundreds of Palestinian prisoners who rot in Israeli jails, who could be free if Hamas wasn't run by adolescent boys. Hamas got arrogant and carried away in the beginning and they thought the Israeli's would cave
What has happened is that Bibi changed the goalposts far too many times for a deal to be reached. this is well docmunted and even the german mediators moaned about it. No, I am pretty sure that the Israeli government are to blame on Shalit. WRT Hama overplaying their hand, well they wanted roughly 500 people released from prison - half of what Israel currently values for one Israeli soul as proven kill counts (1:1000) confirm in previous conflicts. Go figure eh? I just hope Shalit is ok and they he does actually return home soon, i just don't expect Hamas (mad as they are) to be blamed for Israeli right wing arrogance.
I am deeply saddned by the fact that this family has seen their son, brother, cousin, friend in 4 years. I hope they will see him again one day. May Hashem bless them with the strength to survive this.
Noam I am very sorry, but you are dam wrong and very wrong in comparing your son captivity with the rescue of people in Haiti earthquake. I do sympathize very much with your grief and sorrow, but it seems to me that you do not actually grasp the reality of two complete different situations. For one thing, you Mr. Noam, do not realize the significance of freeing Gilad in return for 1000 terrorists. If the Israeli government is to close such a deal, then this would be a great failure because this would mean an absolute victory for the Hamas from a political, military, social and strategic point of view without spliing a single drop of blood. This would render Israel very weak from all aspects and God knows if Gilad wil return or become a similar case like Regev and Goldwasser.
"Israel claims that we refused to deliver a letter and package from POW Gilad Shalit's father. This is a blatant lie. We were first contacted by lawyers representing Shalit's family Wednesday evening, just hours before we were set to depart from Greece. Irish Senator Mark Daly (Kerry), one of 35 parliamentarians joining our flotilla, agreed to carry any letter and deliver it to UN officials inside Gaza. As of this writing, the lawyers have not responded to Sen. Daly, electing instead to attempt to smear us in the Israeli press." http://www.freegaza.org/en/home/56-news/1174-israels-disinformation-campaign-against-the-gaza-freedom-flotilla
"The Shalit family on Thursday asked for assistance from international left-wing activists due to arrive in the Gaza Strip later in the day. If the left-wing activists pressure Hamas to allow international organizations to bring letters and food packages to Gilad Schalit, the kidnapped soldier's family has agreed to support the international expedition's attempt to dock, Army Radio reported Thursday. Lawyer Nick Kaufman presented the offer to the organization "Free Gaza," one of the organizers of the flotilla headed for Gaza, which promptly refused the offer. "We are disappointed that the organizers of the flotilla have refused to also provide basic humanitarian assistance to our son, who has been held in Gaza four years in contradiction of international law," said the Schalit family."
If this Is true, are you going to actually do some real journalism of just be part of the propaganda machine...
It seems unlikely that the Free Gaza people would refuse that offer, especially considering what they've said on their own website. However, I can only repeat what I've read. If it were up to me, that mail would be on its way to Gaza, regardless of any promised support from Gilad's family. My point is that you should not take everything you read as gospel.
We all want Gilad at home, safe and well. Saving people in Haitii is not the same as risking much life if an attempt was made to free him, or the release of those many men who have murdered many woman and children, civilians. They will return to this and not paperwork can guarantee anything. I understand the parents anger but there is no easy solution short of a miracle.
When will the Shilat family realize that their son is worth more to the Israeli government as a captive than he is released. If the Isrealis wanted him free they would have done it years ago. The offer from the Flotilla to give the red cross a letter from his parents still stands.
What offer ? There was no offer. When the Shalit-family urged them to go as far in their "humani-tarian" effort as to also plead the cause of Gilad. They changed their minds, as they realized how shabby their behavior would turn out in the media.
The Israeli government has realised that Shalit being captive is good PR weaponry at times when the Israeli public question their leasdership. The proof of this is that even when the mediators were about to strike a deal for his release Bibi unexpectedly changed the goalposts to scuttle any deal. I will leave you all to draw your own conclusions from this actions but to me it's clear Shalit is a pawn as Sam says.
Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD, Chris Andrews TD and Senator Mark Daly have agreed to personally hand the letters and parcels to the Red Cross in Gaza or to their fellow Irishman John Ging, head of UNRWA in Gaza. They have also agreed to reiterate their call for the release of Gilad Shalit when they reach Gaza.
I agree and pray every day he will be home with his family. I was sure he would be rescued during the Gaza war and wonder why we didn't take lots of important prisoners for that purpose.
In the beginning, Noam Shalit was critical of Israel in the handling of his sons exchange. He was then taken aside and talked to by an Israeli official. The next two years, Shalit blamed everybody but Israel, becoming, in effect, part of Israels propaganda effort. Now Shalit realizes that he has been had and he is back on message.
Durson ignores the fact that Shalit's kidnapping was only one of many cross border attacks by Hamas - the vast majority of which were unprovoked attacks against Israeli civilians. Durson will try to claim that qassam rockets don't kill anybody, but I invite Natalie to come visit the graves of the dead, especially the little children, and visit the (now) teenager whose leg was blown off. Then Durson can tell us that Cast Lead was some kind of abomination, since the 10 thousand+ rockets Hamas illegaly fired at civilians were just a "legitimate right to resist the occupation". Maybe Durson should call on Hamas to respect international law and allow the Red Cross to visit Shalit in return for Israel opening the border. The Israeli people would support that. We don't support these two-faced phony "activists" trying to sail into Gaza who are ready to lick Hamas' boots.
but let him attack Hamas for not releasing his kidnapped son. If Israel releases those that Hamas wishes released, "100" Israelis will likely die at the hands of terrorists. It is much better that Shalit remain a prisoner than to have two Israelis die.
My heart goes out to Mr. Shalit, his wife and family. The unjustice and unfairness of Gilad's situation has no bounds. It is unfathomable that we as a nation are unable to bring Gilad home already. The world and more important the Israeli government needs to wake up and start acting before it will be too late.
listen, we all respect your effort, your sorrow. We all want him home. Netanyahu wants him home. but let's get real ok? the kind of swap hamas wants is an affront to allllll of the families of murdered innocents by the hand of the killers they want released. Israel grieves for your son, the whole world does, but, this is war, and you are clearly venting at the wrong people. Perhaps you could help your son more by putting together rallies calling for a 1 to 1 swap and that as much as you love and miss your son, you are israeli and the state comes before one man...always has, always will. If you ask me, I am kind of sick of one father trying to control the states strategic affairs.
Do you expect him to just sit at home watching TV and waiting for Israel to get his son back. No, as a parent he is doing what anyone in his situation would. Why is it so hard for other israelis to put themselves in the position of Mr Shalit, maybe that os why there is no peace in the ME.
So you prefer honoring all the dead to saving the not yet dead? Smells of death-cult.
Israel should slam door on talks till shalit's released. Israel should impose sanctions designed to free shalit fast and not care an iota about impotent world's hostile attittudes.
What do you think they are doing now?
I think that it is time that Mr. Shalit come to realize that freeing his son can not come at any price. Freeing hundreds of murderers and endangering the lives of hundreds of inocent Israeli citizens cannot be done just because as a parent he wants his son freed. As a father of a soldier, I would hope that if I ever find myself in his shoes - I would still have the humility to consider the safety of the public at large against my desire to bring my son home.
When your in My Shalit's posistion than i don't think you would say that or you don't love your children like you should. As a parent i would do anything to help my children.
Unfortunatley, perceived positive PR is more important to Israel at this point. Freeing Shalit gives Hamas some semblance of legitimacy that Israel is eager to avoid. Why is Israel so good at sending humanitarian help when it comes to an unfortunate natural disaster,yet so incredibly talented in creating man-made human disasters vis-e-vie Gaza and Jenin etc. Delaying the relase of Noam Shalit is yet another disaster for Israel.