Has any of the French NGOs which operate in Gaza taken this opportunity to express support for this initiave ? It would have been a good opportunity to publicly put pressure on the Hamas to give them access (after 888 days in captivity) to 22-year old Gilad Shalit."A recently formed French support group calling for the release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier detained by Hamas in Gaza since June 2006, [organized] on Sunday in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, its first action aimed at recalling the fate of the young man.
"We call on French citizens to mobilize and to run for Gilad next Sunday," the "Collectif Liberté pour Gilad", which was created at Shalit family’s initiative, said in a statement.
Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped by Palestinians during a cross-border raid on an Israeli army base near Gaza on June 25, 2006, has also French citizenship. "Running for Gilad" is co-organized with the Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine, Jean-Christophe Fromantin.
Participants [wore] a white t-shirt in order to show their peaceful intent. The action is supported by several French personalities who will take part in the running, including singer Patrick Bruel, philosopher Bernard-Henry Lévy, writer Marek Halter, actors Dany Boon and Yvan Attal, and comic Gad Elmaleh. Film director Elie Chouraqui made a short film (http://www.guiladshalit.com/) titled "Je suis Gilad" (I am Gilad) which appeals for the release of the young man.
Last month, during a press conference in paris, Noam Shalit, Gilad's father, called on the French citizens to mobilize for his son "like you did for Ingrid Betancourt". "There is still a French hostage to save," he said. Betancourt is a French-Colombian former hostage who was freed in July by the Colombian army after being held in the jungle by the Marxist FARC guerrilla for more than six years."
Source: EJP - Photo: Erez Lichtfeld
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