Gilad Shalit--Going On 900 Days

HonestReporting's blog Backspin Media notes:

The day after the world celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with pomp and hot air, Israelis mark Gilad Shalit's 900th day in captivity.

At least the Red Cross noticed.

The Red Cross site explains what the Red Cross has done so far and is trying to do--which basically boils down to trying to see Gilad Shalit and speak to him in private:

We are pursuing dialogue with all those concerned, as we believe that is essential for achieving progress. We have to talk to those who hold a person's fate in their hands in order to be able to help that person.

The Red Cross is sincere, but still--I thought this was a bit jarring:

There are limits to what we can do and to what international humanitarian law entitles us to do when it comes to visiting people in detention or to finding out what happened to people who go missing in an armed conflict. [emphasis added]

Neither of these 2 descriptions fit the current circumstances. Shalit is neither in detention nor did he go missing. He was kidnapped by terrorists. Despite the Red Cross's best motives, their efforts thus far seem to have done nothing more than to legitimize Hamas and what they have done by equating their actions with those of a party to an armed conflict. 

If indeed the situation was one of armed conflict, why is Israel put under constant pressure to act as if there was no such conflict and open up its borders and indiscriminately allow unfettered access to Palestinian Arabs?

Not surprisingly, the Red Cross refuses to call Hamas by what they are and is reduced to 
"pursuing dialogue."

Technorati Tag: Gilad Shalit.