Shalit family to PM: Your refusal to free Gilad signs his death sentence

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\'s refusal to strike a deal that would secure the release of Gilad Shalit is equivalent to signing the abducted Israeli soldier\'s death sentence, a missive from the Shalit family said on Thursday.

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Jewish Journal

April 21, 2011

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to strike a deal that would secure the release of Gilad Shalit is equivalent to signing the abducted Israeli soldier’s death sentence, a missive from the Shalit family said on Thursday.

Writing in an open letter to Netanyahu on Thursday, Zvi Shalit, Gilad’s grandfather severely criticized what he considered the premier’s inaction in face the IDF soldier’s captivity, saying that “a year ago a deal to secure Gilad’s release was all but signed but you thwarted it in a last-minute decision.”

“Your refusal then and today to comply with the request of former defense officials to free Gilad at the said price is tantamount to Gilad’s death sentence,” Zvi Shalit said, adding: “My grandson was a healthy young man when he was taken at nineteen. If he dies in Gaza, it will be a long and excruciating death.”