BICOM

Foreign Secretary William Hague yesterday welcomed the release of Gilad Shalit as part of a prisoner exchange deal. In a statement, Hague said that the holding of Shalit by Hamas had been “utterly unjustified” and that his release was a “long overdue development.” Hague also extended his sympathies to Shalit’s family, and said he hoped they would be reunited as soon as possible.

In Israel this morning, Defence Minister Ehud Barak said Israel took a “great stride” on the path of bringing Shalit home and urged for restraint to be shown until Shalit finally returns. Barak praised the entire negotiating team and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for showing “leadership, bravery and responsibility”.

The leader of the opposition, Tzipi Livni said that she respected the government’s decision to bring about the release of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. Livni sent her wishes to the Shalit family and “all of Israel which sees Gilad as a family member”. Livni acknowledged that releasing terrorists from Israeli jails was a complicated security risk, which following the return of Shalit should be discussed in further detail.