Petition Tag - shalit

Gilad Shalit (Hebrew: גלעד שליט‎, born 28 August 1986) is an Israeli-French citizen and IDF soldier. On 25 June 2006, he was abducted by Hamas militants from inside Israel near the border with Gaza in a cross-border raid via underground tunnels, and held in isolation without medical care or Red Cross visits for over five years until he was released on 18 October 2011, in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian convicted prisoners, including hundreds convicted of multiple murders and carrying out terror attacks against Israeli civilians. (Wikipedia)

Terrorist included in the exchange are planners of some of worst bombings Israel has seen such as the Netanya Passover bombing and the Subboro Pizza bombing.

The release of convicted terrorists for the exchange of a kidnapped victim presents at least five grave concerns: a) It causes unbearable pain for the families of the victims, b) It inflates of the price tag for innocent captives c) It serves as an incentive for further kidnappings d) It lessens the deterrent against committing acts of terror, and e) The freed terrorists present a grave danger to the public.

Nevertheless, the plight of a young innocent captive under unspeakable conditions leaves the public and the government with the feeling that it has no choice but to give into terrorist demands. It’s a no win situation.

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The government of Israel has agreed (October 2011) to a transaction with the Hamas terrorist regime for the release of an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, held hostage for more than five years.

In exchange, Israel is asked to release more than one thousand prisoners, all of them terrorists, many of them convicted murderers who have been sentenced to multi terms of life imprisonment. The list is long, but one terrorist in particular - a woman of 31 - stands out. Her name is Ahlam Tamimi and she is serving 16 life terms for a massacre which she engineered and helped to carry out.

We are asking that her name be removed from the long list of terrorists to be freed. She represents less than one tenth of one percent of the Hamas demands. Tamimi should remain in prison for the remainder of her days.

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UPDATES:
Gilad is Free!!


October 18, 2011**** - Gilad Shalit is freed from captivity in a prisoner swap with a ratio of 1027:1. Gilad greets the Prime Minister, the Defense Minister and the IDF Chief of Staff. He then greets his family and flies home to Mitzpe Hila, in the Galilee. Hopefully Gilad can recover from this terrible ordeal and still reclaim his youth.

March 31, 2011*** Mailing this letter Letter to Noam & Aviva Shalit the parents of Gilad Shalit in Jerusalem to show our support and remind them that we haven't forgotten about Gilad!

March 24, 2011 **GREAT RESPONSE from the Hon. Bryon Wilfert, Liberal MP Richmond Hill; includes letters sent by Mr. Wilfert to Hon. Lawrence Cannon (Minister of Foreign Affairs) and to Mrs. Miriam Ziv (Israeli Ambassador to Canada)
Wilfert's Personal Response

March 17, 2011 *Dear A. Rochman:

On behalf of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, I would like to acknowledge receipt of your correspondence regarding the detention of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Thank you for sharing your concerns with the Prime Minister. You may be assured that your comments have been carefully reviewed.

M. Bredeson - Executive Correspondence Officer for the Prime Minister's Office***

BACKGROUND: Gilad Shalit (born August 28, 1986) is an Israeli soldier who was captured on June 25, 2006 by Hamas (classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S., Canada, the EU, U.K., and Japan) in a cross-border raid. He was abducted near the Kerem Shalom crossing (in Israel), and has been held as a prisoner in the Gaza Strip by Hamas since then (currently >1700 days in captivity) Gilad's treatment during his captivity has been and still is in strict violation of Articles 13, 14, 23, 30, 31 and 72, (and many others) of the III Geneva Convention, circa 1949. III Geneva Convention

While Israel is still technically at war with Hamas, Gilad's captivity has dragged on for much longer than the intended purpose of his capture. Even as the international community becomes outraged with the events of other terrorist/totalitarian regimes (i.e. Moammar Gaddafi, Mahmoud Ahmadeinejad, Kim Jong-Il, etc.) it has yet to address a truly humanitarian issue that has been in play for almost 5 years. The true reality and irony is that Israel has ~2000 Hamas prisoners in its' prisons today (for various crimes against humanity, including targeting civilians, training children to become terrorists, using children as human shields, etc.), yet, those prisoners have access to family visits, communication with the outside world and the use of technology (i.e. cell phones, internet access). Meanwhile, Gilad Shalit has NONE of these liberties, according to the III Geneva Convention.

Being held captive by the Hamas terrorist organization for almost 5 years is something NONE of us can comprehend or even imagine...but, ALL of us can sympathize with and do whatever it takes to demand fair and equitable treatment and ultimately make a difference.

WE MUST PUT AN END TO THIS TORTURE & INHUMANITY!

Link: What you can do from your own home!

Gilad Shalit Awareness Materials

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