Israel Resumes Attempts To Negotiate Release of Shalit
Negotiations to release captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit from Hamas have resumed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu on Sunday said that Israel has “renewed contact with the German mediator” in order to free Shalit, who is being held in the Gaza Strip.
Shalit was captured in a cross-border raid in June 2006.
Shalit’s grandfather, Zvi Shalit, told Israel Radio Sunday that he did not see any evidence that negotiations had been renewed. He said Netanyahu “is killing” his grandson if the Israeli leader does not bring about his release.
“I don’t know why the prime minister doesn’t make the phone call that would bring Gilad home,” Zvi Shalit said, adding that “Hamas has a very limited demand and it has not changed over the years. The list is known.”
Hamas has demanded the release of 1,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails, including some directly responsible for the deaths of Israelis.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
