The image of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit has accompanied Israel for 33 months, ever since he was abducted in a cross-border raid by terrorists who used a tunnel to enter Israeli territory and to drag Shalit back to Gaza.
Unable to reach a clear decision on how to deal with Hamas's blackmail, Israel's residents have been torn between the wish to bring Gilad back, and the concern that the release of terrorists that Hamas demands would wind up causing even greater suffering for more families.
Shalit’s parents, Noam and Aviva, put up a protest tent Sunday opposite the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem. They say that they intend to place the maximum pressure possible on Ehud Olmert to bring about the release of their son before he leaves office.
Across the street from the Shalits’ tent, a group of relatives of terror victims also pitched a protest tent. They said that the government should find a way to release Gilad Shalit without releasing terrorist murderers.
Israel National TV’s Yoni Kempinski was there.