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Israel President Peres Conveys Progress On Gilad Shalit To French Ambassador
By
Gayla Goodman Jerusalem, Israel ---- September 30, 2009 ..... Israel President Shimon Peres greeted several ambassadors who arrived in Israel today, but he had a special message for the French Ambassador, Christophe Bigot. Peres was able to announce progress made in the release of Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, who is also a French citizen. In the first stage of negotiations Israel has committed to releasing 20 female Arab prisoners in exchange for current information on Shalit. The Islamic terror group Hamas claims to have a recent video of Gilad Shalit that will be turned over to Israel in the exchange. “This is a positive step in the negotiations, but the road to his release is still long and not simple, and we do not want to create any illusions,” said Peres. Gilad Shalit is close to the heart of France Ambassador Christophe Bigot. The first thing that he did upon his arrival in Israel was to visit Noam and Aviva Shalit, the parents of Gilad, in a very emotional meeting. Following 1,193 days in captivity, the family of Gilad Shalit welcomed the breakthrough in negotiations. The video should serve as a “sign of life” from Gilad to his parents and to the world. Members of the Campaign for the Release of Gilad Shalit commented upon hearing the news: “We wait breathlessly to receive a first authentic sign of life from Gilad.” In a statement released by the Shalit family, they call the exchange of prisoners for a video from Gilad “a first step in the right direction on the way to release Gilad.” However, with the aid of devoted supporters and the general public, the family says it will not rest until Gilad is home. The trade,
approved by the Israel Political Security Cabinet, was announced
in a joint statement in Jerusalem, Cairo and the Gaza Strip. According
to details provided through German and Egypt negotiators, a one-minute
video will be turned over to Israel on Friday verifying that Shalit
is alive. Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Hamas, says the release of the prisoners will serve as a simple deal that is a precursor to a comprehensive deal. Israel Radio reported that the official in Gaza who is in charge of Shalit’s negotiations with Israel, Osama Mazini, is certain that the German mediator’s success in this deal proves that he can bring forth a breakthrough in the prisoner exchange deal that will lead to Shalit’s ultimate release. It should be noted that the Hamas official based in Damascus, Ayzat Arishak, said that the release of the prisoners is an achievement for the kidnappers, and the agreement struck with Israel represents “the first fruits of Gilad Shalit’s captivity.” Peres has commended the Shalit family in the way in which it has maintained its strength in the face of such prolonged and indescribable suffering. Peres also sent a personal message to France President Nicolas Sarkozy in which he expressed his appreciation for the way in which France has stood by the Shalit family. Gilad Shalit, 23, was taken hostage by Islamic Arabs in a cross-boarder raid and is being held by Hamas. The first soldier captured by Arabs since 1994, he is believed to be alive but Hamas has refused repeated requests from the International Red Cross to visit him. A number of human rights groups have noted that the terms and conditions under which Shalit is being detained are contrary to international human law, but all negotiations until the current exchange has ended without result. Joel Leyden
contributed to the above news story.
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