Noam Shalit, father of abducted Israel Defense Force soldier Gilad Shalit, passed a letter to his son to former United States president during their meeting on Friday.

Shalit met Carter, who arrived as part of a series of talks in the region, in Jerusalem's Colony Hotel and asked him to do what's necessary in order to get the letter to his son.

After the meeting Shalit said that the former president was one of a few Americans with links to Hamas and was hopeful that those connections could be used to secure the release of his son.