British Rabbi Herschel Gluck, who according to a recently released WikiLeaks cable held indirect talks with Iranian officials in a bid to facilitate the release of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, still believes he can play a role in securing his freedom. In an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom on Tuesday, Gluck confirmed the veracity of the WikiLeaks report. What is written there is indeed true. I was involved in the matter, Gluck said. To our great sorrow, Gilad is still not with us. He confirmed the contents of the leaked documents and said, There is a way to advance the Gilad Shalit release deal by including members of the clergy. According to a cable sent in April 2009 from the U.S. Embassy in London to the U.S. State Department, Israel appealed to Gluck -- a British citizen who works with Chabad and has contacts throughout the Muslim world -- to contact Rehman Safavi, a military adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Israel asked Gluck to press for a prisoner swap that would free Shalit. Gluck did so, with little success. Shalit was abducted by Hamas terrorists in a June 2006 cross-border raid. The cable, titled Iran/Israel: Regime Insider Reportedly Passes Tough Private Message on Israeli Hostages, notes that on April 6, 2009, Rehman Safavi's brother, Ayatollah Syed Salman Safavi, told Gluck that Iran's senior leadership had no interest in engagement with the Netanyahu government on the subject of the Israeli soldier possibly held captive by Hamas. Gluck, the cable notes, told American diplomats he had met with Syed Safavi in London at the behest of the Israeli Embassy, with the fate of Israeli IDF hostages possibly in the hands of Hamas or Hezbollah the focus of the meeting. Speaking at his London home on Tuesday, Gluck said, I have many contacts in the world, and I can talk with those who bear influence on the issue. In 2009 I spoke with Safavi and asked for his assistance in the efforts to release Gilad Shalit. We talked about it, and I know that he helped move things along. Sadly, the efforts proved fruitless but he surely stressed the matter. Born in England, Rabbi Gluck, 52, currently lives in London with his eight children and three grandchildren and is known as a local community activist. He initially met Safavi during a meeting of religious leaders. Gluck said Ayatollah Safavi had indicated that he could exercise influence over the matter and said, It is no secret that there are close ties between Iran and Hamas, and that Iran holds a certain degree of influence over Hamas. Ayatollah Safavi wanted to use this influence to advance the issue. Had he succeeded we would not have to refer to Gilad Shalit as a prisoner but rather as a free man. Gluck refused to answer questions about Shalit's condition or even whether he was still alive. I don't want to talk about it. I promised I would not discuss it, but of course everything needs to be done to free him. he said As a Jew I tried to advance his release by all possible means. I have spoken to several sources, I do not want to specify if these are government officials or military personnel, but they have said that involving clergy would be a worthwhile pursuit in efforts to reach a release deal for Shalit, Gluck said. There are times which prove to be more advantageous and others that prove to be less. In the meantime we should mainly pray.
Rabbi insists his involvement could advance Shalit's release
Exclusive: Rabbi Herschel Gluck engaged in talks with Iranian officials and called for the release of captive Israeli soldier • Insists his ties with influential Muslims can further the cause • Gluck: Now we need to pray.
Load more...