Punishing the Palestinian people won’t free Gilad, Sarkozy tells Shalit family

From HAARETZ.COM:

French President Nicholas Sarkozy wrote to the family Gilad Shalit on Friday, the fourth anniversary of his seizure by Hamas, telling them that punishing the Palestinian people would not bring about of the captured Israeli soldier’s freedom.

In the letter, Sarkozy said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent decision to ease Israel’s blockade on Gaza was a positive step and that the siege had not helped to hasten Shalit’s release.

The French president condemned Hamas for holding Shalit under harsh conditions. The 23-year-old, who holds French as well as Israeli nationality, has been denied regular contact with his relatives and visit from the Red Cross.

Read the full article at HAARETZ.COM.