Vice Premier Shimon Peres has placed responsibility for the kidnapping of soldier Gilad Shalit on the head of Hamas’ Political Bureau, Khaled Mashaal.
At the end of a visit to the Shalit home, Peres said, “The instruction for this action came from Khaled Mashaal in Damascus. There sits a man who wants to destroy peace. Syria is is hosting a man who wants to create victims.”
Peres also claimed that Meshal prevented contacts for the release of the soldier.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert indicated that Israel will hurt those responsible for terror, including Mashaal and his followers.
Israel had attempted to assassinate Mashaal in the past on Jordanian soil, which caused a diplomatic crisis between Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom. This forced Israel to release Hamas leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin in return for the Mossad agents being held in Jordan who tried to kill Mashaal.