Arriving in Israel, the former US President Jimmy Carter was shunned by senior Israeli government officials over his plans to meet with exiled Hamas political leader Khaled Masha'al in Syria later this week. However Noam Schalit whose son Gilad has been held in captivity for almost 23 months asked the former American President to assist in advancing a deal with Hamas that will bring about his son;s release. President Shimon Peres chided Carter over his decision to meet with Masha'al saying the Hamas leader is responsible for the deaths of numerous Israelis.04/14/08