French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie was attacked by a mob in Gaza on Friday morning. Her attackers were enraged over statements she had allegedly made the day before supporting human rights for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Alliot-Marie was mobbed as she entered Gaza, with a crowd surrounding her car, pounding on its windows, and throwing shoes at the vehicle. One person jumped on the car. Two children were pushed in front of the first car in Alliot-Marie's convoy, forcing the convoy to a stop while the attack continued.
One sign at the rally had a picture of Alliot-Marie with a red cross over her face. Others called on the foreign minister to leave Gaza.
Hamas police eventually stopped the furious protest and allowed the convoy to continue. Hamas leaders expressed sympathy with the rioters, saying Alliot-Marie's comments regarding Shalit reflected a “total bias toward Israel.”
Alliot-Marie was not hurt in the attack.
She had met Thursday with the parents of Gilad Shalit. The kidnapped soldier, who Hamas claims to have in custody, holds French citizenship. Alliot-Marie assured his parents that “France has not forgotten Shalit,” and said she would insist that the European Union ask Hamas to allow Red Cross representatives to visit Shalit, as required by international law.
According to AFP, trying to 'justify' the incident, the Gaza mob may have mistakenly believed that Alliot-Marie termed Shalit's captivity a “war crime.”
Shalit's father Noam had called on France to push the EU to condemn the kidnapping as a war crime, and his statement was wrongly attributed to Alliot-Marie on Israel Radio's Arabic-language website, an AFP reporter said. This has not been corroborated.
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Friday, January 21, 2011
French Minister Attacked by Gaza Mob
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Hamas: 'No change in Schalit's captors' demands'
"There is no change in the demands of Gilad Schalit's captors," Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas's armed wing, was quoted as saying on Sunday morning.
Obeida added that negotiations over the release of the captured IDF soldier were halted two months ago and since then there had been no messages conveyed by Israel via the Egyptian mediators, Israel Radio reported.
"We urge Israel to deal with the issue quickly because this foot dragging is not in Israel's interests if it wants to protect Gilad Schalit," said Obeida.
Bagelblogger: No Change? Surely you would need to check with his captors? Unless of course we finally accept the obvious, Hamas has been behind the kidnapping all along.
Instead of Israel accepting thinly veiled threats from Hamas terrorists, Hamas need to know the dire consequences if Gilad Shalit is harmed. Each and every leader of Hamas needs to know they are directly responsible for Shalit's safety.
Terrorist organisations must be held accountable.
References:
Hamas: 'No change in Schalit's captors' demands'
Free: Gilad Shalit
: Gilad Shalit * Gilad and Israel * Gilad * Jewish Soldier and Gilad * Kidnapped Soldier * Justice * Hostage * Kidnapped Israeli * Gilad Shalit * IDF* Terrorism* Jewish * Hamas * Jew
Zahar: Hamas willing to renew talks over release of Shalit
Top Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar said Saturday that Hamas is willing to renew negotiations over the release of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for an Israeli release of Palestinian prisoners.
"If Israel wants to begin at the point where we stopped, there is a possibility to complete the exchange deal", Zahar said.
Shalit was captured in a cross-border raid by Hamas and two smaller militant groups in June last year. So far, Egyptian mediation attempts to exchange Shalit for Palestinian prisoners have failed.
IDF reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were subsequently abducted by Hezbollah on July 12 near the border with Lebanon, sparking the Second Lebanon War.
Noam Shalit, Gilad Shalit's father, said Saturday that he hopes he won't go through another "nightmarish" year, and called on the government "to pick up the pace in bringing back the children."
Shalit spoke at a ceremony in Rosh Hanikra following a cycle rally in the western Galilee, organized to show support for the abducted Israel Defense Forces soldiers and their families.
Karnit Goldwasser, wife of Ehud Goldwasser, called on newly elected president, Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to act for the quick release of the abducted troops, "and not to let apathy kill them."
Some 3,000 cyclists took part in the rally Saturday morning, under the banner of "stop apathy for the sake of the kidnapped soldiers."
The cyclists began at the Regba shopping center situated between the coastal towns of Acre and Nahariya, and finished at Rosh Hanikra.
The rally marks almost a year since Shalit was captured by Palestinian militants.
Bagelblogger: Could it be any more clearer that Hamas is in full control of the situation? The pretense and fabrication that Hamas doesn't have complete control of the where abouts of Gilad Shalit needs to be realised by the world.
Why is it a organisation which has been declared as a terrorist entity, which is so obviously behind the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit is able to exist in any form?
Why isn't the entire world denouncing this crime? Why is Hamas left to commit atrocity after atrocity under the pretense of crimes being committed by 'uncontrollable splinter groups'. The time has come, any country, state or administration that is involved in terrorism needs to be confronted now.
Have we not learned the lessons of not taking firm action and holding countries that harbor, train and encourage terrorism to be accountable.Free: Gilad Shalit
: Gilad Shalit * Gilad and Israel * Gilad * Jewish Soldier and Gilad * Kidnapped Soldier * Justice * Hostage * Kidnapped Israeli * Gilad Shalit * IDF* Terrorism* Jewish * Hamas * Jew
