Barack Obama
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20500 United States of America
Paris, 07.06.2010

Mr President,

In a few days you will receive at the White House the Israeli Prime Minister,Mr Benjamin Netanyahu.

I know the topics of your talks will be numerous. Yet I will allow myself to mention to you the case of two prisoners in Israeli jails.

France has indeed two French prisoners in this torn and restless region : a French-israeli national, Gilad Shalit, and a French-palestinian, Salah Hamouri. Both are young French men.

Their cases are different, but the key to both their release is in the hands of the same person : the Israeli PM.

For Gilad Shalit, captured, his release depends on a « prisoners exchange » for which Benjamin Netanyahu does not seem in a great rush. An agreement has existed since before he was elected. Let it be enacted, and Gilan Shalit will be free.

As for Salah Hamouri, who was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment by a military occupation court, even though no wrongful fact was pinned on him, it also depends on the Israeli PM to decide his release for him to be free. He hes already spent five years of his life in jail while he is only 25 years old. Politics sent him to prison, politics can set him free.

The French authorities have not obtained their release from the Israeli autorities.

Your influence and high moral authority can bring about the liberation of both these young men.

Mr President, in the name of the Franco-American centuries-old friendship,

I beg you to use them, as well as your diplomatic skills, with Mr Netanhayu . Thus our two French fellow-countymen would be liberated.

With the greatest hope in your intervention,

Yours, most respectfully,

Jean-Claude Lefort,
Honorary assemblyman.