The families pointed out that in the four months since Hizbullah terrorists kidnapped the soldiers, officials have not succeeded in bringing back a sign of their condition. Red Cross officials have met with three Hizbullah terrorists captured by Israel but have not met with the abductors of Goldwasser and Regev.
The families said that pressure on Lebanon could force the terrorists to release information on the fate of their sons.
The soldiers' close relatives met Tuesday with IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Major-General (ret.) Doron Almog. Almog headed an IDF inquiry on the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping.
The meeting took place amidst an uproar among IDF reservists who blasted Almog for criticizing the unit in which Goldwasser was serving at the time of the initial attack. Part of the report claimed that the two reservists had not carried out their operational duties properly, leading to their capture.
Almog stated that the soldiers did not follow orders to maintain their distance from the border fence with Lebanon and carried out their patrols in a haphazard manner. He also was quoted as saying, "The patrol deployed almost as if it was going on a hike, not an operation. Goldwasser himself had decided to embark on the patrol.” Almog later said his comments were misinterpreted.
The captives’ comrades accused Almog of unjustly blaming the victim. “Goldwasser did not decide on his own to go on patrol,” said Dudu Lubratzky, one member of the unit. “There was a permanent list of who goes and when. It wasn’t like he gathered a few soldiers and off he went." The soldiers added that their company had been understaffed and that reinforcements they requested never arrived to help man other observation posts.
The captives’ families, meanwhile, expressed their faith in the IDF investigation’s findings, saying they accepted Almog’s explanations that his remarks had been misquoted. “The inquiry will turn the IDF into a better IDF,” said Goldwasser’s father Shlomo. “I hope that this kidnapping will prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.”
Eldad’s brother Benny added, “General Almog emphasized that they had been acting in accordance with regulations."
Nonetheless, the families also said that efforts to procure their sons’ release from captivity were not moving fast enough and that not everything was being done to set them free.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting with the Defense Minister and Chief of Staff, Goldwasser said, “Four months have passed, which is a lot of time – for us, an eternity. We know that the State is working to secure the release of our sons, but we feel that the progress is too slow.”
Other family members noted that although the war is over, the last soldier has left Lebanon and the blockade on Beirut has been lifted, their sons are still not home.
“They say everything is being done. In our opinion not everything is being done, and we demand that more be done.”
After the kidnapping at the outset of the war in July 12, Prime Minister Olmert said Israel would not accept a ceasefire until the terrorists freed Goldwasser and Regev. He then retreated from his position and accepted the United Nations Security Council resolution which called for their release but did not make it a condition of the ceasefire.
The families said that pressure on Lebanon could force the terrorists to release information on the fate of their sons.
The soldiers' close relatives met Tuesday with IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Major-General (ret.) Doron Almog. Almog headed an IDF inquiry on the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping.
The meeting took place amidst an uproar among IDF reservists who blasted Almog for criticizing the unit in which Goldwasser was serving at the time of the initial attack. Part of the report claimed that the two reservists had not carried out their operational duties properly, leading to their capture.
Almog stated that the soldiers did not follow orders to maintain their distance from the border fence with Lebanon and carried out their patrols in a haphazard manner. He also was quoted as saying, "The patrol deployed almost as if it was going on a hike, not an operation. Goldwasser himself had decided to embark on the patrol.” Almog later said his comments were misinterpreted.
The captives’ comrades accused Almog of unjustly blaming the victim. “Goldwasser did not decide on his own to go on patrol,” said Dudu Lubratzky, one member of the unit. “There was a permanent list of who goes and when. It wasn’t like he gathered a few soldiers and off he went." The soldiers added that their company had been understaffed and that reinforcements they requested never arrived to help man other observation posts.
The captives’ families, meanwhile, expressed their faith in the IDF investigation’s findings, saying they accepted Almog’s explanations that his remarks had been misquoted. “The inquiry will turn the IDF into a better IDF,” said Goldwasser’s father Shlomo. “I hope that this kidnapping will prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.”
Eldad’s brother Benny added, “General Almog emphasized that they had been acting in accordance with regulations."
Nonetheless, the families also said that efforts to procure their sons’ release from captivity were not moving fast enough and that not everything was being done to set them free.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting with the Defense Minister and Chief of Staff, Goldwasser said, “Four months have passed, which is a lot of time – for us, an eternity. We know that the State is working to secure the release of our sons, but we feel that the progress is too slow.”
Other family members noted that although the war is over, the last soldier has left Lebanon and the blockade on Beirut has been lifted, their sons are still not home.
“They say everything is being done. In our opinion not everything is being done, and we demand that more be done.”
After the kidnapping at the outset of the war in July 12, Prime Minister Olmert said Israel would not accept a ceasefire until the terrorists freed Goldwasser and Regev. He then retreated from his position and accepted the United Nations Security Council resolution which called for their release but did not make it a condition of the ceasefire.