Gilad Shalit’s fate moves the Israelis like no other current issue. This can be seen again on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of his abduction. The international public does not stand on the sidelines but turns with urgent appeals to Hamas. In Germany this has been done – apart from private individuals and civil society initiatives – by the German Bundestag (click here), the Federal Government under Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Federal President Christian Wulff. The European Union as well – i.e., the European Parliament (click here) and, recently, the European Council, assembling the heads of state and government of the EU (click here) – demand Gilad Shalit’s immediate release.

Michael Mertes, Resident Representative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Jerusalem, pledges that „we are going to do the utmost to continually draw the German and the European public’s attention to Gilad Shalit’s fate. First and foremost, this is a matter of human solidarity which we owe to Gilad Shalit and his family. At the same time, it is an expression of our deeply felt solidarity with Israel.“