Gilad Shalit

Mr. Amess
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had since July 2009 with Arab governments on (a) the imprisonment of Israeli Soldier Gilad Shalit by Hamas and (b) the refusal of Hamas to allow Gilad Shalit visits from the International Committee of the Red Cross; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Ivan Lewis
I raised the continued captivity of Gilad Shalit and Hamas' refusal to allow humanitarian access with the Palestinian authorities during my visit to the region in August 2009. We have also made our position on these issues very clear in international meetings, most recently in the Security Council debate on the Middle East on 14 October 2009.