Activists fighting for the return of captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit claim that the Israeli government has abandoned the kidnapped 22-year-old staff sergeant.
The Campaign for the Release of Gilad Shalit slammed the Cabinet decision taken Saturday night to approve a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza without insisting on the soldier’s release as a precondition.
The move “is a death sentence for Gilad,” accused members of the organization, who told journalists in a bitter statement “there is a soldier in Gaza that Israel has abandoned.”
Not all of the hundreds of demonstrators who stood loyally in front of the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv were as angry. Members of the “Waiting for Gilad at the Square” organization said they were waiting to see if the firing in Gaza was actually at an end before coming to any conclusions.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in his late Saturday night announcement of the decision to implement the ceasefire, “The Israeli government is working in many ways to bring Gilad Shalit home and, during the days of the operation, we did many things that brought us closer to this goal, upon which I will not elaborate. Gilad is at the top of our list of priorities,” he claimed.
Representatives of Shalit’s family said they were deeply disappointed by the decision to approve a ceasefire without conditioning it on the return of their son, adding that Olmert’s statement was inadequate.
“Gilad’s return has to be an indispensable part of any ceasefire or any agreement to end the war,” Shalit’s father Noam told reporters before Olmert made his announcement. Prior to the Egyptian-brokered tahadiyeh, or temporary truce negotiated with Hamas terrorists in June 2008, Olmert had similarly announced that Shalit was a “top priority” in the talks – but failed to include his freedom as a condition for implementing the ceasefire.
Although Shalit’s parents were silent during the active phase of Operation Cast Lead, saying they felt it inappropriate to speak out when IDF soldiers were fighting in Gaza, they were unable to restrain themselves Saturday night.
“We support an agreement,” said Noam. “What we are saying is that any agreement, whether it is bilateral or unilateral, whether it is with the Egyptians or with the Americans, or whomever, must include Gilad.”
“We expected a clear statement directly linking the results of the Gaza war with our commitment to Gilad,” said activists in their statement following the Prime Minister’s announcement Saturday night.