Noam Shalit, the father of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, asked the U.N. Human Rights Council to speak up on behalf of his son.
Speaking March 22 before the international body in Geneva, Shalit said his son is being deprived of his basic human rights. He also pointed out that the Goldstone report called for his son to be allowed to receive visits from the Red Cross and to make contact with his family.
“No one knows if he is healthy; no one knows where he is being held; he is deprived of daylight; he is deprived of his basic human rights,” Shalit said.
Shalit spoke during a daylong debate about Israel’s actions in the West Bank and Gaza. The council was to vote late in the week on four resolutions — two accusing Israel of human rights abuses against Palestinians and illegal settlement building. — jta