The envoy for the Middle East Quartet of peacemakers, Tony Blair, on Tuesday welcomed Gilad Shalit?s release from Hamas captivity, saying that it was a ?moment of great joy? for the soldier and his family as well as for the families of the Palestinian prisoners released as part of an agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Blair, who represents the foursome of the United Nations, United States, European Union and Russia, also said that the moment could prove to be an opportunity to kick start the peace process.

?I hope it also offers us a moment of opportunity, and not simply in respect of Gaza where Hamas are presently in charge, but also for a?revival of credibility in a peace process we really need to prioritize,? he told the BBC.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Meanwhile United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday that he expected the prisoner swap to boost prospects for the wider peace process.

?With this release, it will have a far-reaching positive impact to the stalled Middle East peace process,? Ban said at the end of a three-day trip to Switzerland.

?I am very encouraged by the prisoner exchange today after many, many years of negotiation. The United Nations has been calling for [an end to] the unacceptable detention of Gilad Shalit and also the release of all Palestinians whose human rights have been abused all the time.?

For more, go to Haaretz.com

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount