Dozens of activists attempted to forcibly prevent visits at the HaSharon prison on Monday morning, in protest of the fact that kidnapped Israeli Gilad Shalit has not had a visit from his family, the Red Cross or any other outside party since he was taken hostage more than 1,000 days ago.
The jail selected for the demonstration is used to contain terrorists, including those convicted of murder. Activists explained that they wanted to pressure Hamas by showing that their desire to see Shalit was similar to that of Arab mothers' desire to see their children.
Police arrived at the scene and restored order, while activists waved pictures of Shalit and called on the government to secure his release.
Similar protests were held in the past at the Shikma prison in Ashkelon. However, plans to block terrorists' visits with their families were put on hold as Israel appeared to be near a deal with Hamas that would have seen Shalit exchanged for hundreds of Hamas terrorists currently living in Israeli jails.
The demonstration led to an unusual pairing of Zionist activists with the political left as the Zionist student group Im Tirzu worked with Kibbutz Movement head Yoel Marshak, who is known for supporting Palestinian Authority Arabs in their claims against Israelis in Judea and Samaria.
Marshak said his goal was to push for further negotiations with Hamas for Shalit's release, saying, “We must speed up the negotiating process before Gilad disappears.”
Marshak warned that activists would continue to demonstrate outside prisons. “We won't be 'moderate' anymore – the government must save this child from captivity,” he added.
Palestinian Authority Arabs reported a similar protest outside the Hadarim jail near Tulkarem on Monday. Protesters were dispersed by soldiers, but managed to prevent family visits for the day, according to PA media. IDF officials have not yet confirmed or denied the report.