Congressman calls for Shalit’s release

Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the House of Representatives subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, introduced a resolution May 17 calling for the immediate release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Resolution 1359 calls for the immediate release of Shalit, who was captured by Hamas gunmen in Gaza during a cross-border raid in 2006.

“Hamas claims to be a religious organization, but their cruelty and inhumanity belies such claims,” Ackerman, who is Jewish, said in a statement. “Gilad Shalit is a human being, not a bargaining chip. He should be returned immediately and unconditionally.”

Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), the senior Republican member of the subcommittee, co-sponsored the resolution, which he said he hopes will be passed before the June 25 anniversary of Shalit’s abduction. — jta