BREAKING NEWS

Only 27 MKs have signed Schalit petition

AUGUST 1, 2011 21:17

Only 27 parliamentarians have signed a petition by the parents of captive soldier Gilad Schalit, which calls for a prisoner swap in exchange for the young man's release.

Schalit's parents Noam and Aviva have lobbied the 120 parliamentarians in the Knesset in the last weeks, asking that they support a 2009 deal by a German mediator by which Gilad would be freed in exchange for the release of 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners. Parliamentarians who support a prisoner swap, however, have been loath to sign the document out of fear that it would hamper the government's ability to finalize a deal for Gilad's release.

Three MKs, Shaul Mofaz (Kadima), Miri Regev (Likud) and Eitan Cable have sponsored the petition. A spokesman for the Gilad Schalit family said Schalit's parents had not finished their lobby efforts.

Gilad, 24, has been held in Gaza by Hamas since he was kidnapped in June 2006, while patrolling the Gaza border with his unit.

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