Merkel, Sarkozy call for Gilad Shalit's release amid new efforts to secure deal

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy issued a joint call Friday for the release of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit as part of a deal with Hamas.

Merkel and Sarkozy have each called for Shalit's release in the past, but this marks the first time the two European leaders issued a joint call on the matter, which was an unusual move at a meeting meant to discuss the urgent Greece debt crisis.

The comments come eight days before the fifth anniversary of Gilad Shalit's abduction.

Israeli sources close to the negotiations said the international move carried large significance.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/merkel-sarkozy-call-for-gilad-shalit-s-release-amid-new-efforts-to-secure-deal-1.368307

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1. Egypt: Shalit will disappear due to Israeli obstinance

The fifth anniversary this Saturday of the abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit has seen a burst of activity on all sides to negotiate his release.

Egyptian security officials involved in the talks told Haaretz over the weekend that the approach by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new envoy to the talks, David Meidan, could scuttle the negotiations and lead to Shalit's "disappearance."

The Egyptians said Meidan told Egyptian intelligence officials in Cairo last week that if Hamas did not agree to the latest deal proposed by Israel, there would be no deal at all.

The Egyptians said the Hamas negotiators, headed by the group's military chief, Ahmed Jabari, had responded to the Israeli approach with a clear threat that the talks would end and a deal for Shalit would be off the table.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/egypt-shalit-will-disappear-due-to-israeli-obstinance-1.368444