Post by Messenger on Feb 28, 2008 15:30:54 GMT -5
www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About+the+Ministry/Behind+the+Headlines/Behind+the+Headlines-+Six+months+in+terrorist+captivity+11-Jan-2007.htm
A year and a half has passed since the unprovoked abduction of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser on the Israeli side of the Lebanese border, and of Gilad Shalit on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza.
A year and a half has passed since the unprovoked abduction of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser on the Israeli side of the Lebanese border, an action that precipitated widespread confrontation between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hizbullah terrorist organization. To date no word has been heard from the two captive soldiers, and neither their families nor the government of Israel have any knowledge of their whereabouts or their current state of health. Especially grave is the fact that these unprovoked abductions were carried out on sovereign Israeli territory.
Two weeks prior to their abduction, on June 25, another soldier, Gilad Shalit, was abducted as well, this time on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza. On the anniversary of his abduction (25 June 2007), Hamas released a recorded message of Gilad Shalit's voice - the first sign of life since he was abducted. Shalit's father Noam indicated that the voice - if not the wording of the message - was that of Gilad.
Addressing the members of the diplomatic corps in Israel that evening, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said: "Hamas is making cynical use of the suffering of Gilad Shalit, the pain of his family, the pain of the people of Israel, in order to dictate its own brutal agenda in the region, in order to undermine a political process which is taking place right now to create a better future for the region. Hamas is responsible for the life and health of Gilad Shalit, and we, the Israeli government, will take all steps to bring him back home."
This recording, while an important development, cannot be seen as a substitute for what Hamas must really do: namely, to allow the International Red Cross to immediately visit Gilad Shalit and to allow him to receive proper medical attention.
Taken from their families more than a year ago, these captive soldiers are denied the most basic of human rights. In a gross breach of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, the terrorist organizations that carried out these abductions, and Syria and Iran who support them, behave as if these human rights are nothing more than a bargaining chip in their game of negotiation, refusing even to transmit messages to the captives from their families. International bodies who met with the captives' families have also tried to forward messages and letters, but they have been met with a negative response as well.
The Israel Foreign Ministry is active in efforts to gain their release on all levels: Foreign Ministry Tzipi Livni and her fellow ministers, alongside Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, raise the issue at the highest levels in their diplomatic meetings, in Israel and abroad - as do the Foreign Ministry's director-general and other senior officials. The Foreign Ministry also assists the families of the kidnapped soldiers in their meetings, both abroad and with visiting dignitaries in Israel, in an effort to keep the cause of the abducted soldiers on the international public agenda.
Israel's embassies abroad are also taking part in this effort, with emphasis on the humanitarian aspect: the families await a clear sign that their sons are alive and well. Those with influence, whether direct or indirect, on Syria and Iran are being asked to exert this influence on these countries. Thus, it is hoped, Syria and Iran, which sponsor the terrorist organizations holding the abducted soldiers, will be forced by growing international pressure to bring their influence to bear to obtain the hoped-for news and their eventual release.
Neither Israel nor any other civilized, law abiding country can accept this situation. We urge you to support us in our endeavor - to bring our soldiers home.
October 30, 2007 has been declared World Solidarity Day for the release of the kidnapped soldiers. On that day, more than 40 rallies were held around the world, with the participation of thousands of students: in New York - across from the United Nations headquarters, Holland, France, Ukraine, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, San Diego, Michigan, Boston and more.
- View video conference with Karnit Goldwasser (wife of Ehud Goldwasser) with six US campuses
Statement by the President of the Security Council (17 April 2007):
"The Security Council notes with profound concern that there has been no progress on the issue of the return of the two Israeli soldiers abducted by Hizbullah on 12 July 2006 despite further intense efforts by the Secretary-General and his facilitator, and reiterates its call for their immediate and unconditional release."
From Report of UN Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006):
"The return of the two Israeli soldiers abducted by Hizbullah on 12 July 2006 and a solution of the question of Lebanese citizens detained in Israel have been the focus of further intense efforts made by the facilitator appointed by my predecessor to handle these issues.
Hizbullah publicly rejected the concept of an immediate and unconditional release of the two Israeli soldiers at an early stage, insisting instead on the release of large numbers of detainees in Israel beyond the framework of resolution 1701 (2006). There were also prohibitive demands with regard to proof that the two Israeli soldiers were alive.
On the Israeli side, I note that the Lebanese citizens captured by the Israeli Defense Force during the 2006 conflict have all been visited by the International Committee of the Red Cross and have been able to write letters to their families. I also note the readiness to solve the very few Lebanese cases, on condition that Hizbullah honours its obligations...
I have urged Hizbullah leaders to avoid disproportionate demands and protracted bargaining that cannot be considered adequate in the face of the humanitarian urgency of the cases and the clear message of resolution 1701 (2006)."
A year and a half has passed since the unprovoked abduction of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser on the Israeli side of the Lebanese border, and of Gilad Shalit on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza.
A year and a half has passed since the unprovoked abduction of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser on the Israeli side of the Lebanese border, an action that precipitated widespread confrontation between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hizbullah terrorist organization. To date no word has been heard from the two captive soldiers, and neither their families nor the government of Israel have any knowledge of their whereabouts or their current state of health. Especially grave is the fact that these unprovoked abductions were carried out on sovereign Israeli territory.
Two weeks prior to their abduction, on June 25, another soldier, Gilad Shalit, was abducted as well, this time on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza. On the anniversary of his abduction (25 June 2007), Hamas released a recorded message of Gilad Shalit's voice - the first sign of life since he was abducted. Shalit's father Noam indicated that the voice - if not the wording of the message - was that of Gilad.
Addressing the members of the diplomatic corps in Israel that evening, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said: "Hamas is making cynical use of the suffering of Gilad Shalit, the pain of his family, the pain of the people of Israel, in order to dictate its own brutal agenda in the region, in order to undermine a political process which is taking place right now to create a better future for the region. Hamas is responsible for the life and health of Gilad Shalit, and we, the Israeli government, will take all steps to bring him back home."
This recording, while an important development, cannot be seen as a substitute for what Hamas must really do: namely, to allow the International Red Cross to immediately visit Gilad Shalit and to allow him to receive proper medical attention.
Taken from their families more than a year ago, these captive soldiers are denied the most basic of human rights. In a gross breach of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, the terrorist organizations that carried out these abductions, and Syria and Iran who support them, behave as if these human rights are nothing more than a bargaining chip in their game of negotiation, refusing even to transmit messages to the captives from their families. International bodies who met with the captives' families have also tried to forward messages and letters, but they have been met with a negative response as well.
The Israel Foreign Ministry is active in efforts to gain their release on all levels: Foreign Ministry Tzipi Livni and her fellow ministers, alongside Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, raise the issue at the highest levels in their diplomatic meetings, in Israel and abroad - as do the Foreign Ministry's director-general and other senior officials. The Foreign Ministry also assists the families of the kidnapped soldiers in their meetings, both abroad and with visiting dignitaries in Israel, in an effort to keep the cause of the abducted soldiers on the international public agenda.
Israel's embassies abroad are also taking part in this effort, with emphasis on the humanitarian aspect: the families await a clear sign that their sons are alive and well. Those with influence, whether direct or indirect, on Syria and Iran are being asked to exert this influence on these countries. Thus, it is hoped, Syria and Iran, which sponsor the terrorist organizations holding the abducted soldiers, will be forced by growing international pressure to bring their influence to bear to obtain the hoped-for news and their eventual release.
Neither Israel nor any other civilized, law abiding country can accept this situation. We urge you to support us in our endeavor - to bring our soldiers home.
October 30, 2007 has been declared World Solidarity Day for the release of the kidnapped soldiers. On that day, more than 40 rallies were held around the world, with the participation of thousands of students: in New York - across from the United Nations headquarters, Holland, France, Ukraine, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, San Diego, Michigan, Boston and more.
- View video conference with Karnit Goldwasser (wife of Ehud Goldwasser) with six US campuses
Statement by the President of the Security Council (17 April 2007):
"The Security Council notes with profound concern that there has been no progress on the issue of the return of the two Israeli soldiers abducted by Hizbullah on 12 July 2006 despite further intense efforts by the Secretary-General and his facilitator, and reiterates its call for their immediate and unconditional release."
From Report of UN Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006):
"The return of the two Israeli soldiers abducted by Hizbullah on 12 July 2006 and a solution of the question of Lebanese citizens detained in Israel have been the focus of further intense efforts made by the facilitator appointed by my predecessor to handle these issues.
Hizbullah publicly rejected the concept of an immediate and unconditional release of the two Israeli soldiers at an early stage, insisting instead on the release of large numbers of detainees in Israel beyond the framework of resolution 1701 (2006). There were also prohibitive demands with regard to proof that the two Israeli soldiers were alive.
On the Israeli side, I note that the Lebanese citizens captured by the Israeli Defense Force during the 2006 conflict have all been visited by the International Committee of the Red Cross and have been able to write letters to their families. I also note the readiness to solve the very few Lebanese cases, on condition that Hizbullah honours its obligations...
I have urged Hizbullah leaders to avoid disproportionate demands and protracted bargaining that cannot be considered adequate in the face of the humanitarian urgency of the cases and the clear message of resolution 1701 (2006)."