J Street Executive Director Jeremy Ben-Ami released the following statement upon the introduction of House Resolution 1359 (H. Res. 1359):
J Street applauds the introduction of House Resolution 1359, calling for the immediate release of captured Israeli soldier Corporal Gilad Shalit. Introduced by the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia Gary Ackerman and senior Republican on the subcommittee Rep. Dan Burton, the resolution is an important demonstration of bipartisan support not just for Gilad Shalit’s immediate release, but for achieving a two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and for a Jewish and democratic Israel within recognized and secure borders.
J Street shares the strong belief of this resolution’s sponsors that captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit should be released immediately. We also endorse the Israeli government’s ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure Shalit’s release and to bring him home to his family.
On a recent J Street Education Fund Congressional Delegation trip to Israel, I had the opportunity to join members of Congress in meeting with Gilad Shalit’s father, who spoke in deeply moving terms about his son’s ongoing captivity, urging us all to do what we could to bring him home. We urge members of Congress to add their names to this important demonstration of support for Gilad Shalit, and of “strong support and deep interest” in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a two-state solution.