Gilad Shalit’s Father Thanks Muslims for Pushing for Release
Noam Shalit thanked American Muslim leaders in a New York meeting on Thursday for sending a letter to Hamas requesting the release of his son, Gilad, an Israel Defense Forces soldier who has been in captivity for five years.
Rabbi Marc Schneier hosted the meeting between Shalit and Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, one of the 11 signatories of the letter sent to Hamas by prominent American Muslim leaders including Congressmen Keith Ellison and Andre Carson. The letter called for the immediate release of Gilad.
Shalit thanked the leaders for their solidarity and efforts to secure the release of Gilad, who is in his 1,902nd day of captivity.
The American Muslim leaders have yet to receive a response from Hamas, but both Rauf, Chairman of the Cordoba Initiative, and Congressman Carson, who spoke by telephone with Mr. Shalit during the meeting, said that they were committed to the Shalit family’s cause, adding that they will continue to demand a response from Hamas.
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