Tag: Gilad Shalit

  • Turkey aided effort to free Israeli soldier but relations still frosty – The National

    Turkey aided effort to free Israeli soldier but relations still frosty – The National

    Thomas Seibert

    Oct 14, 2011

    ISTANBUL // The Turkish government helped secure the release of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit despite political tensions with Israel, officials from both countries said.

    But analysts warned yesterday that it was too early to tell whether Turkey’s involvement in freeing the soldier could lead to improved ties with Israel.

    “Whether it was transmitting information about Gilad Shalit’s health or whether it was taking part directly or indirectly in continuing negotiations, we were following those issues closely and made a contribution up until very recently,” Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, said in remarks posted on his ministry’s website yesterday.

    While describing Turkey’s efforts to reach a deal between Israel and Hamas on the swap of Mr Shalit for 1,027 Palestinian detainees, Mr Davutoglu was careful to point out that Egypt deserved most of the praise.

    “First and foremost, I congratulate our friend and brother Egypt for their contribution,” Mr Davutoglu said. He also confirmed that Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister and a harsh critic of Israel, was personally involved in the Shalit case.

    In Israel, president Shimon Peres said he was surprised by Mr Erdogan’s involvement.

    “I was pleasantly surprised by the Turkish government’s stand,” Mr Peres said, according to Israeli media reports. He said he was told that Mr Erdogan personally played an important role in the process. “They put everything aside and favoured the humanitarian side over politics,” Mr Peres said.

    Relations between former partners Turkey and Israel have been in crisis since the death of nine Turkish activists during an attack by Israeli soldiers on a Turkish ship carrying aid for the Gaza Strip in May last year. Turkey has called for an apology and compensation for the families of the victims, but Israel has rejected the demands. Last month, Ankara expelled the Israeli ambassador and downgraded political and military ties with Israel.

    Mr Erdogan insists that his tough position was directed only against the present Israeli government and not against the Israeli people. According to news reports, Mr Erdogan reportedly promised to get involved personally after receiving a letter from Mr Shalit’s father, Noam Shalit.

    Turkey raised eyebrows in Israel, Europe and the US when it invited a delegation of Hamas to Ankara shortly after the election victory of the hardline Palestinian group in 2006. In recent weeks, Mr Erdogan has spoken of his wish to visit the Gaza Strip, which is run by Hamas.

    Mehmet Sahin, a political scientist at Ankara’s Gazi University and Israel analyst at the Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies, a think tank in the Turkish capital, said Turkey’s involvement in the Shalit case could be seen as a “confidence-building step”.

    “But the question is what Israel’s response will be,” Professor Sahin said in a telephone interview yesterday. He said Turkey would stick to its demands of an apology and compensation as a precondition to normalise relations.

    While there were Israeli politicians like Mr Peres who were in favour of repairing ties with Turkey, hardliners such as the foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman were adamantly opposed to an apology, Prof Sahin said.

    He noted that Israel had offered an apology to Egypt for the death of six members of the Egyptian security forces during an Israeli operation in August.

    A Turkish foreign ministry source also underlined that the ball was in Israel’s court. In response to a question about a possible improvement of Turkish-Israeli ties because of the Shalit case, the source replied: “You have to ask this to the Israeli side.”

    tseibert@thenational.ae

    via Turkey aided effort to free Israeli soldier but relations still frosty – The National.

  • Shaul Mofaz: Now is the time to repair ties with Turkey

    Shaul Mofaz: Now is the time to repair ties with Turkey

    By JPOST.COM STAFF AND HERB KEINON

    10/15/2011 14:09

    israelTurkey is speculated to be one of several countries receiving security prisoners deported from Israel as part of Schalit prisoner exchange.

    MK Shaul Mofaz (Kadima), chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said on Saturday that because of Turkey’s involvement in negotiations to free captive soldier Gilad Schalit, now is an opportune time to restore ties with Ankara, Israel Radio reported.

    A recent apology by Defense Minister Ehud Barak to Egypt for the deaths of several Egyptian soldiers two months ago, Mofaz said, sets the tone for detente with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

    According to the deal reached last week between Israel and Hamas, many of the security prisoners being released in exchange for Schalit will be deported overseas. A list of countries that will take them has not yet been announced, although there is speculation Turkey may be one of them.

    President Shimon Peres on Tuesday said he was “pleasantly surprised by the Turkish government’s stand” on the Schalit deal, but did not elaborate, raising speculation Ankara either expressed a willingness to take in some of the Palestinian prisoners, helped convince Hamas it should accept the deal, or both.

    via Shaul Mofaz: Now is the time to r… JPost – Diplomacy & Politics.

  • How did Turkey save Gilad Shalit?

    How did Turkey save Gilad Shalit?

    İSMET BERKAN – iberkan@hurriyet.com.tr

    There is no one who does not know about Gilad Shalit, the soldier for whose sake Israel turned Gaza upside down, killed thousands of people, including women and children, and turned Gaza into an open-air prison. In fact, maybe he has been the most innocent hero of this long and bloody game, or the victim, since the day he was kidnapped by Hamas.

    After Hamas kidnapped Shalit and the Israeli army entered Gaza, only to fail at rescuing the soldier, Israel asked for mediation and assistance from Turkey.

    And, even at that time, which was the end of 2006 and beginning of 2007, Turkey stepped in and talks were carried out with Hamas, with some progress achieved. But Israel has a habit; it does the same job together with a few countries. The fact that other countries were also involved did not make the negotiations any easier; on the contrary, they got tougher. Moreover, they became entangled. At this point, Turkey stepped out.

    Turkey stepped out but Israel’s effort to save Gilad Shalit did not end until seven or eight months ago.

    Some seven or eight months ago, at a time when Turkish-Israeli relations were not at its best, the Israeli government once more consulted Turkey and asked for help to save Shalit because they had reached a certain point in negotiations and once more the talks were deadlocked. Would Turkey help overcome this deadlock?

    The subject was referred to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. Erdoğan reacted very clearly to this demand: “This is a humanitarian issue; it has nothing to do with our Israeli politics or relations. Let us do whatever we can.”

    With this directive, the Foreign Ministry stepped in. They wanted Israel to pass all the information it had to Ankara. Then it was understood that a Western European country’s representative had played a serious role in the negotiations carried out until that time.

    That Western European came to Ankara. He met Davutoğlu and top level Foreign Ministry civil servants, conveyed all the information he had and explained the latest stage reached in the negotiations.

    From that moment on, a tough negotiation period started with Hamas on one hand and with Israel on the other. The National Intelligence Organization (MİT) stepped in and met with MOSSAD, Hamas and Egyptian intelligence.

    This shuttle diplomacy and secret meetings gradually bore fruit, the deadlocked situation in the negotiations ended and an advance was obtained.

    On one side of the negotiation was Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal who resided in Syria, on the other side was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and in the middle were Davutoğlu, the Foreign Ministry and MİT.

    The subject on which the negotiations were about to be locked was whether 27 Hamas women were to be released. But later this issue was overcome and a few days ago Mashaal called Davutoğlu from Syria and told him the deal was struck. “If you do not have any objection, we will announce it in a few hours. I wanted you to know first,” he said. Davutoğlu said: “This is a totally humanitarian matter. We thank you for being helpful in this issue. The deal is also appropriate from our point of view.”

    And after this talk, both Hamas and Israel announced the deal struck on Shalit.

    İsmet Berkan is a columnist for daily Hürriyet in which this piece appeared Oct. 14. It was translated into English by the Daily News staff.

  • Turkey working for Shalit’s release

    Turkey working for Shalit’s release

    Turkey working for Shalit’s release

    Israeli-Turkish businessman recently handed Erdogan letter from Noam Shalit asking him to convince Hamas to accept German mediator’s swap deal proposal. Turkish PM pledged to handle matter personally as way to rebuild Israel ties

    Gilad Shalit. No Red Cross visits Photo: Amit Magal
    Gilad Shalit. No Red Cross visits Photo: Amit Magal

    Turkey is increasing its involvement as a mediator in efforts to release of captive soldier Gilad Shalit, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Sunday.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently stated that international elements have been working on Shalit’s behalf in the past few days. It has been cleared for publication that Netanyahu had in fact been referring to Turkey, which is considered the country with the most influence over Hamas, possibly more than Egypt.

    Turkey has been working to form a deal for Shalit’s release opposite Hamas for the past year, Yedioth Ahronoth has learned. It had maintained a low profile but recently decided to boost efforts apparently as a way to rebuild ties with Israel.

    Israeli-Turkish businessman Eliko Donmez met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan after last year’s flotilla and handed him a letter written by the captive soldier’s father Noam. Shalit asked Erdogan to use his influence over Hamas in order to convince the group to accept the German mediator’s proposal of releasing 1,000 prisoners in exchange for his son.

    He also expressed regret over the death of Turkish citizens in the raid. Shalit noted that Hamas refuses to allow the Red Cross to visit his son and asked for a meeting with Erdogan.

    Red Crescent involvement

    Turkey started its involvement in the matter following the letter with Donmez acting as mediator. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu apparently discussed the matter with Hamas Politburo chief Khaled Mashaal several times.

    The Turkish Red Crescent was also involved in efforts and tried to convince Hamas to meet its representatives in Gaza, but Hamas refused. The possibility of handing over a letter to Shalit from his family was also raised.

    Sources familiar with the issue said that Erdogan had taken the matter upon himself personally. He was told that achieving success in the affair would improve his status in the eyes of both Israel and the Arab and Muslim world.

    Erdogan has faced domestic criticism for the crisis with Israel which some claimed cost Turkey’s its prominent status in the Middle East.

    Eliko Donmez refused to comment.

    via Turkey working for Shalit’s release – Israel News, Ynetnews.

  • UK demands release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit

    UK demands release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit

    Shalit
    An Israeli flag picturing abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and the word 'help,' seen during a march in Jerusalem on July 8, 2010.

    By the CNN Wire Staff

    (CNN)Britain on Saturday demanded the release of Gilad Shalit as the Israeli soldier marked his 24th birthday in Hamas’ captivity.

    “The thoughts of many in Britain are with Gilad Shalit and his family,” the Foreign Office said.

    “His detention is unjustifiable and unacceptable. The British Government demands his immediate and unconditional release.”

    Shalit has been held captive since June 25, 2006, when Palestinian militants from Gaza captured him.

    The militants had tunneled into Israel and attacked an Israeli army outpost near the Gaza-Israel-Egypt border, killing two soldiers in the assault.

    Israel immediately launched a military incursion into Gaza to rescue Shalit, then 19, but failed to free him.

    Since being imprisoned by Hamas, Shalit has not been allowed any contact with the outside world, nor any visits by the Red Cross. Details of his incarceration and physical condition remain unknown.

    In October 2009, Hamas released a tape of Shalit as a proof of life, in which he urged the Israeli government to do more for his safe release.

    Shalit’s family has been working to free the soldier and ramped up their efforts during the current holy month of Ramadan.

    Noam Shalit, the soldier’s father, recently appealed directly to Palestinians in Gaza to put pressure on their Hamas leadership for a prisoner swap during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends September 9.

    The father has repeated his stance that the Israeli government should release 1,000 prisoners, including 450 whose release Hamas has demanded in exchange for his son.

    He has been holding a vigil outside the home of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since early July, when he led a march to his doorstep to support a prisoner exchange as a way to release his son.

    This Ramadan is different than the previous four, Shalit said, because there is now a deal that was put on the table at the beginning of the year by a German mediator.

    “If the two sides of the conflict show some flexibility, it will be possible to make an agreement,” Shalit said.

    Such an agreement, Shalit said, would benefit thousands of Palestinian families who would have their fathers and sons back to celebrate the festival of Ramadan.

    “I would welcome any release of Palestinian prisoners, but I would welcome the release of one Israeli prisoner,” said the emotional Shalit, raising a solitary finger.

    The issue of Shalit came up after British Prime Minister David Cameron issued tough talk about the Palestinian territory of Gaza during a visit to Turkey, comments seen as criticism of Israel.

    “Let me also be clear that the situation in Gaza has to change. Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp,” Cameron said. He also referred to the territory as a “prison camp.”

    Residents of Gaza say they have suffered greatly under an Israeli goods blockade implemented since Hamas took control of the territory after elections in 2006. But Israel says its tough measures are necessary to stop weapons from reaching Hamas militants intent on destroying Israel.

    Ron Prosor, Israel’s ambassador to Britain, reacted quickly to the prime minister’s remark, saying that Hamas is responsible for the misery in Gaza and raised the issue of Shalit’s captivity.

    “We know that the prime minister would also share our grave concerns about our own prisoner in the Gaza Strip, Gilad Shalit, who has been held hostage there for over four years, without receiving a single Red Cross visit,” Prosor said.

    http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/08/28/israel.shalit.birthday/#fbid=Oow33yoKaYr&wom=false, August 28, 2010