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Alistair Burt with Noam Shalit

Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt met this morning with Noam Shalit, father of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, at the family鈥檚 protest tent in Jerusalem. 皇冠体育app family marked five years since Gilad was kidnapped by Palestinian Militants in a cross-border raid near Kerem Shalom on 25 June.

Noam Shalit told Minister Burt that Hamas was ignoring all requests for access to Gilad, and flouting international law. Noam Shalit also expressed his concern over the recent Hamas-Fatah reconciliation deal as well as what the possible UN recognition of a Palestinian state in September could mean for the fate of his son. He asked the Minister if the UK could take a more active role and exert indirect pressure on Hamas and other key countries in the Middle East to help bring Gilad home.

Minister Burt assured Noam Shalit that Britain will continue to do everything it can to secure Gilad鈥檚 immediate and unconditional release. 鈥淥ur position on Hamas remains very clear,鈥� Minister Burt told Noam, 鈥渨e don鈥檛 have any dealings with it [and] we will maintain our position on Hamas.鈥� On the issue of the Hamas-Fatah deal, he said 鈥渨e will judge any government on its record. We will expect it to adhere to non-violence and recognition of previous agreements. We are a long way from seeing what this deal will actually mean,鈥� the Minister noted. He also said he would raise the matter during his meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Minister Burt said: 鈥溁使谔逵齛pp UK鈥檚 position is uncompromisingly that we want to see [Gilad] released immediately. We raise his case constantly. Gilad鈥檚 name is mentioned almost every month in the House of Commons. 皇冠体育app conditions in which he is being held are unacceptable. If there鈥檚 any opportunity we can take, we will do so,鈥� he promised.