Police estimated that some 40,000 people crowded into the heart of Israel’s White City to demand the release of IDF captives Gilad Shalit, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser. Shalit was kidnapped on June 25th by Hamas terrorists in a raid on an army outpost at the Kerem Shalom crossing bordering Gaza and Egypt. Goldwasser and Regev were kidnapped by Hizbullah terrorists at the border with Lebanon on July 12th, touching off a full-scale war.
Entitled “Soldiers Are Not Left Behind,” the rally was organized by the families and friends of the hostages as well as public figures. Numerous smaller demonstrations over the past two weeks preceded the massive show of support for the captives and their families. Protest rallies snowballed as calls grew for government leaders to either resign or appoint a state commission of inquiry into the mistakes made in the management of the war.
Former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, now Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, opened the proceedings by praying from the podium for the kidnapped soldiers, quoting Jeremiah 31:17, “Your children shall return to their borders.”
Rabbi Lau appealed to Hizbullah chief terrorist Hassan Nasrallah as “a bereaved father himself” to let them go. Nasrallah’s 18-year-old son Hadi was killed during a battle with IDF soldiers in 1997.
The event was hosted by actress Osnat Vishinsky, who lost her son in the fighting in Gaza. Vishninsky promised “to return the smiles to the families’ faces.”
Mikki Goldwassser, mother of reservist Ehud Goldwasser, spoke to the crowd, as did the soldier's wife Karnit.
Goldwasser’s mother talked with reporters prior to the demonstration about her fears and the energy she gathers as she marshals her strength to help her son in any way she can. “I’m like a wounded lion with unabated strength,” she told the crowd.
“I get a lot of strength from the nation that is standing behind me. I get a lot of love from them,” she added, praising the numerous demonstrations that have kept her son’s story and that of the other hostages in front of the public eye.
Eldad Regev’s brother also addressed the protestors, quoting a line from “The Peace Song” that was sung at the demonstration during which former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was murdered. “Don’t say that the day will come, make it come,” he quoted. “We are helping to bring about the day when my loved ones are freed.”
Regev said he was excited to see so many people come out in support of his brother and the other hostages, and called on the government and the international community to pay attention. “I hope that next time we meet here, we will be celebrating their return,” he said.
Noam Shalit, Gilad’s father, called on the government to clarify claims that a prisoner exchange deal with the terrorists had been held up by Israel.
Organizers of the demonstration took precautions to ensure that the rally would not become a political affair. Several speakers, including a soldier who was under the command of missing Air Force navigator Ron Arad, sharply criticized politicians for failing to bring back the soldiers.
A friend of the hostages addressed his remarks to government officials as he spoke to the crowd, saying, “Don’t abandon our friends; do what is moral. Bring them back. We want the government ministers to remember always that Udi, Eldad and Gilad are being held by foreigners. When they return we want to be able to tell them, ‘We didn’t just speak, we acted. We were here for you.’”
Entitled “Soldiers Are Not Left Behind,” the rally was organized by the families and friends of the hostages as well as public figures. Numerous smaller demonstrations over the past two weeks preceded the massive show of support for the captives and their families. Protest rallies snowballed as calls grew for government leaders to either resign or appoint a state commission of inquiry into the mistakes made in the management of the war.
Former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, now Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, opened the proceedings by praying from the podium for the kidnapped soldiers, quoting Jeremiah 31:17, “Your children shall return to their borders.”
Rabbi Lau appealed to Hizbullah chief terrorist Hassan Nasrallah as “a bereaved father himself” to let them go. Nasrallah’s 18-year-old son Hadi was killed during a battle with IDF soldiers in 1997.
The event was hosted by actress Osnat Vishinsky, who lost her son in the fighting in Gaza. Vishninsky promised “to return the smiles to the families’ faces.”
Mikki Goldwassser, mother of reservist Ehud Goldwasser, spoke to the crowd, as did the soldier's wife Karnit.
Goldwasser’s mother talked with reporters prior to the demonstration about her fears and the energy she gathers as she marshals her strength to help her son in any way she can. “I’m like a wounded lion with unabated strength,” she told the crowd.
“I get a lot of strength from the nation that is standing behind me. I get a lot of love from them,” she added, praising the numerous demonstrations that have kept her son’s story and that of the other hostages in front of the public eye.
Eldad Regev’s brother also addressed the protestors, quoting a line from “The Peace Song” that was sung at the demonstration during which former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was murdered. “Don’t say that the day will come, make it come,” he quoted. “We are helping to bring about the day when my loved ones are freed.”
Regev said he was excited to see so many people come out in support of his brother and the other hostages, and called on the government and the international community to pay attention. “I hope that next time we meet here, we will be celebrating their return,” he said.
Noam Shalit, Gilad’s father, called on the government to clarify claims that a prisoner exchange deal with the terrorists had been held up by Israel.
Organizers of the demonstration took precautions to ensure that the rally would not become a political affair. Several speakers, including a soldier who was under the command of missing Air Force navigator Ron Arad, sharply criticized politicians for failing to bring back the soldiers.
A friend of the hostages addressed his remarks to government officials as he spoke to the crowd, saying, “Don’t abandon our friends; do what is moral. Bring them back. We want the government ministers to remember always that Udi, Eldad and Gilad are being held by foreigners. When they return we want to be able to tell them, ‘We didn’t just speak, we acted. We were here for you.’”