Please read the letter below.  Email it to Secretary General Kofi Annan and forward it to your email list for their action.  All you need to do is replace the signature with your own.  The letter calls on the Secretary General to act immediately to secure the release of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers.  His email addresses are:  sg@un.org and inquiries@un.org.   In the subject line, type “Action to Release Kidnapped Israeli Soldiers”.  You can also fax to: 212-963-7055 or send by mail.  Please request a response and provide your contact information.

The Honorable Kofi Annan,
Secretary General The United Nations

38^th floor, United Nations

United Nations Plaza, NY 10017

Dear Mr. Secretary General:

As the head of the United Nations, the repository of international law, we thank you for using your moral authority and taking a leading role in securing the release of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.   We also call on you to act in securing the release of Gilad Shalit. 

The world cannot stand by idly while known terrorists in unknown locations and in unknown conditions hold these soldiers  -- kidnapped from the State of Israel, a sovereign nation, in an unprovoked attack.  In the preamble to the Charter of the United Nations, the founding members declared that the organization was an instrument “…to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained…” Furthermore, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 calls for the unconditional release of the Israeli hostages.

Hezbollah and Hamas are legitimate organizations and are, therefore, bound by this charter.  And because Hezbollah and Hamas are identified by the international free world as terrorists committed to the destruction of the State of Israel, it is your duty to act as a mediator and the time to act is now.

As the Secretary General of the United Nations, the peacekeeper and caretaker organization of the world, your intervention is of utmost importance.  To date, nothing under Article 13 of the Geneva Conventions has been provided to the families of these soldiers to alleviate an iota of their unimaginable suffering.

We also urge you to appoint a special committee to investigate the actions of the ICRC under their own mandate regarding these three Israeli soldiers and the five Israeli soldiers now missing for 28 years.

Everything must be done to bring an end to the hostilities and to work toward a peaceful resolution.  The plight of the three innocent Israeli soldiers is urgent and immediate action is needed to secure their release.   We would appreciate a response from you.

Respectfully,

 Doris Wise Montrose, Acting President

Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors Los Angeles

doriswise@sbcglobal.net

Susanne M. Reyto

Author, Pursuit of Freedom

sreyto@aol.com