Israel Matzav

Noam Shalit's chutzpa

Noam Shalit, the father of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, tears into the government for not pressuring Hamas for the last five years.

Since Gilad Schalit was kidnapped five years go, the government has not put pressure on Hamas to release the captive IDF soldier, Noam Schalit said on Friday.

The soldier's father made the comments Friday during a visit to Arad where he met with the family of Hanan Barak, Gilad's commander, who was killed during the raid in which Hamas kidnapped Gilad.

Schalit said that his family wants the public to involve itself in the struggle to free his son because in the five years since Gilad was kidnapped, the government has not put pressure on Hamas to release him. If it has, he added, it folded almost immediately, Israel Radio reported.

The soldier's father pointed out that the Netanyahu government is continuing in the same path as previous governments, and therefore Hamas has no reason to hurry a prisoner exchange deal with Israel.

You can't help but feel sorry for the guy but for the past five years, Noam Shalit has done more than anyone in the world to convince everyone that his son's release is 'just' a question of paying Hamas' price, and therefore pressure has been brought on the government of Israel and not on Hamas. He is also rumored to have vetoed an IDF rescue mission out of fear that Hamas would kill his son if such a mission were undertaken. It is questionable whether such a mission is even possible today - how would you have any element of surprise?

What is Shalit suggesting? Reinstating a full blockade? It was his friends that forced the government to stop that. Cut off water and electricity? The only people who favor doing that are the Right, who are anathema to the Shalit family because they're not willing to trade thousands of terrorists for Gilad's release.

And so the stalemate continues and only Hamas benefits.

What could go wrong?

Labels: Gilad Shalit, Hamas, Noam Shalit

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:41 PM