Shalit’s dad: U.S. holding up deal

The father of captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit broke his weeks-long silence last week by pointing an accusing finger at the United States for holding up a prisoner swap deal for his son.

“There is a certain amount of pressure [from the U.S.],” Noam Shalit told reporters at the Conference of Presidents in Tel Aviv. “I’m hearing voices from Washington, from Congress, exerting pressure against a deal in order not to jeopardize the position of [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas in the Palestinian Authority.”

He called that “inappropriate.”

Last week, Israel’s Channel 2 reported that Israel had made a “new and final” offer to Hamas in efforts to secure Shalit’s release. — jpost.com