Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with the parents of Ehud (ben Malkah) Goldwasser and Eldad (ben Tova) Regev early Sunday morning, before the Cabinet approved the ceasefire. He acknowledged that the agreement does not provide complete answers regarding the captives, but noted that Israel captured 13 Hizbullah terrorists during the warfare. Olmert said that Israel would offer their return in exchange for the return of the two abducted Israelis.
At least one of the Hizbullah terrorists in Israeli hands was wounded and treated in an Israeli hospital, and another one took part in the actual kidnapping attack.
Olmert announced today that he had appointed Ofer Dekel, former Deputy Head of the General Security Service, to head the task force dealing only with the captives' return.
At yesterday's Cabinet meeting, several ministers brought up the issue of the captives, but Olmert told them it had not been possible to make the ceasefire agreement contingent upon the soldiers' return.
Many critics of the agreement note that both Prime Minister Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz said repeatedly during the course of the war that its goals were to return the captives and neutralize the Hizbullah threat upon Israel. In the event, however, the agreement states only that the UN will "act for the return of the captives" and will present a periodic report on progress to this end.
A UN representative, questioned about why the agreement does not obligate Hizbullah to return the captives, said, "We prefer to work by way of persuasion."
Regev and Goldwasser are not the only Israeli security and military personnel being held by enemy or foreign entities. The soldier Gilad (ben Aviva) Shalit, of Mitzpeh Hila in the Galilee, was kidnapped from his tank just outside Gaza seven weeks ago and is being held in Gaza by the Hamas Authority. In addition:
At least one of the Hizbullah terrorists in Israeli hands was wounded and treated in an Israeli hospital, and another one took part in the actual kidnapping attack.
Olmert announced today that he had appointed Ofer Dekel, former Deputy Head of the General Security Service, to head the task force dealing only with the captives' return.
At yesterday's Cabinet meeting, several ministers brought up the issue of the captives, but Olmert told them it had not been possible to make the ceasefire agreement contingent upon the soldiers' return.
Many critics of the agreement note that both Prime Minister Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz said repeatedly during the course of the war that its goals were to return the captives and neutralize the Hizbullah threat upon Israel. In the event, however, the agreement states only that the UN will "act for the return of the captives" and will present a periodic report on progress to this end.
A UN representative, questioned about why the agreement does not obligate Hizbullah to return the captives, said, "We prefer to work by way of persuasion."
Regev and Goldwasser are not the only Israeli security and military personnel being held by enemy or foreign entities. The soldier Gilad (ben Aviva) Shalit, of Mitzpeh Hila in the Galilee, was kidnapped from his tank just outside Gaza seven weeks ago and is being held in Gaza by the Hamas Authority. In addition:
- Guy (ben Rina) Hever disappeared near the Syrian-Israeli border in the Golan Heights in August 1997;
- Ron (ben Batya) Arad was captured when his plane was downed over Lebanon in Oct. 1986;
- Yehonatan (ben Malkah) Pollard is nearing the end of his 21st year of a life sentence in the U.S. for having passed information to Israel;
- Tzvi (ben Pninah) Feldman, Yehuda (Yekutiel Yehuda Nachman ben Sarah) Katz, and Zecharia (Shlomo ben Miriam) Baumel were all captured at the Sultan Yaaqub battle in Lebanon on June 11, 1982.