Speaking on the 800th day of her son Gilad's captivity-assuming he is still alive-Aviva Shalit spoke out about the continuing crisis involving his 2006 capture by Hamas and the failure of prisoner release negotiations intended to free him.
"The number of prisoners to be released in the deal is not the issue," said Shalit Tuesday on Israel's Army Radio, suggesting that the struggle to release him is more complicated than is acknowedged in the government's current strategy. "Gilad is the insurance policy, the human shield, of Hamas, of the leaders of the organization - that's why they're not in a hurry; they have absolutely no reason to be."
In the interview Shalit also voiced a personal apology to her son for not succeeding in freeing him. "I take responsibility for that," she said. "I don't know if it's a personal failure, but we're not succeeding in getting him back."