France – Some 400 people took part in a demonstration calling for the release of captive soldier Gilad Shalit in Paris on Sunday. Shalit, who has been in Hamas captivity for the past five years, is both a French and Israeli citizen.
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The protestors chanted “Freedom for Gilad Shalit.” The rally, organized by Jewish groups in France, was held outside the Paris City Hall Hôtel de Ville. A photo of Shalit was posted on the building.
Pierre Aidenbaum, of the Paris municipality said: “Nowhere in the world has seen such a lengthy period of time pass without any information on a captive. His parents have not received news of him for the past two and a half years. They do not even know whether he’s alive.”
We call on the French government and media to work towards peace. We want them to force Hamas to honor international law and recognize the State of Israel,” Gil Tayeb, president of the ASI said.
Former IDF Spokesman Avi Benayhau also took part in the protest and said, “Israel will not rest until Gilad is released.”
This is very important. Shalit is a French citizen and France needs to fully get behind the effort to release him. They may also have more credibility with the people holding him as their relationships with Arab countries tend to be better than the U.S.’s. It’s also very brave of these Jews to do this in France where Jews are increasingly under attack.