shalit

He said "Shalit will not see the light of day" until Israel releases hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

For over a year, Noam and Aviva Shalit slept in a tent around the corner from the prime minister's official residence in Jerusalem.

He said it is not possible to link the cease-fire with the issue of the Israeli prisoner Gilad Shalit.

Mr Shalit turned out to be alive, and his captors promised the Turks they would treat him respectfully.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has hoped to secure the release of Shalit before he leaves office, within a few weeks.

As Shalit was welcomed home Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a stiff response to any acts of violence.

He responded that all the reports on the possible release of Shalit were part of what he called "Israeli election propaganda. "

INTO the second week of Corporal Gilad Shalit's hostage ordeal, both sides have turned up the heat.

The group has said it wants to keep negotiations over the release of Shalit separate from any bargaining over a cease-fire accord.

Sgt. Shalit was later flown to his home in northern Israel, where thousands of people lined the roads to greet him.

Since then, the Israeli government has been through indirect negotiations to try to exchange Shalit for prisoners approach.

Shalit is a powerful bargaining chip that gives Hamas leverage with Israel, and the group is in no hurry to give him up.

Mr Shalit's sojourn with his captors has been lengthy but past hostages in the Middle East (and in Colombia) have been held for even longer.

In all of this, the Shalit family and Hamas are the winners; the Israeli public will be the loser.

Were Hamas also to free a captured Israeli corporal, Gilad Shalit, held in Gaza for three years, the mood would lighten all round.

Shalit was captured in a cross-border raid by Hamas gunmen more than five years ago and has been held in Gaza ever since.

Meshaal says Israeli actions will deprive Israel of getting Shalit back home, something he says Israel has been counting on.

"The effort to free Gilad Shalit is a supreme effort, " said Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

For one thing, Hamas should free Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier it captured nearly five years ago.

So please say a prayer for our soldiers tonight (including Gilad Shalit).

The soldier, Gilad Shalit, is a powerful bargaining chip for Hamas.

If all goes according to plan, Shalit will be released to Egyptian custody on Tuesday and then handed over to Israel.

He has insisted that Shalit's release happen before Israel re-opens border crossings with Gaza.

But Israel stopped the EU operation after Hamas seized an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in June 2006.

Mr. Netanyahu told Army Radio that Israel is working non-stop and making every effort to bring Shalit home.

There are hopes that Shalit's release could lead Israel to ease its economic blockade of Gaza.

It happened to people who were "tweeting for Shalit" too, so I don't think we can say it was biased, necessarily.

To Palestinians, the 1, 027 prisoners exchanged for Shalit are freedom fighters.

Israel has offered to release 1, 000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit's freedom.

Political philosophy and empowering citizens; Avner de-Shalit

Israel divided over price of freedom for captive soldier Gilad Shalit