MK’s, Public figures, educational institutions, industry and many private citizens pledged to join the five minute initiative to free Gilad Shalit, one minute’s vigil for every year that the IDF soldier has been held incommunicado by the Hamas terror organization.
According to the organizers, people around the world would stand in central spots holding signs calling for Gilad’s release as well. They hoped to halt traffic in Israel at major intersections as drivers joined the vigil.
MK Arye Eldad (National Union), in response to the vigil, called on the Prime Minister to advance the passage of the proposed law, already passed the first of four necessary steps to Knesset passage, canceling all visits to Hamas prisoners in Israel until Gilad, too, is allowed regular visits.
Eldad wrote to the Prime Minister: "It is over a half year since the government agreed to pass the early reading of the law that will stop family visits to Hamas prisoners as long as Gilad Shalit has had none. The government has tabled the bill and has prevented its advance to the next stages of passage into law. On the day of the public’s holding of a vigil to keep Gilad’s incarceration by Hamas in the public eye, it is incumbent upon us to move that law forward.”
The comfortable conditions under which terrorists are held in israel are a stark contrast to the lack of information on Gilad Shalit.
In the wake of the brutal Itamar murders on Friday night, Prime Minister Netanyahu said on Monday that he has no intentions of freeing the 450 terrorists in Hamas’ ransom request for Shalit, as the list includes prisoners defined as extremely dangerous to Israel’s security, The question of the price the country should or should not be willing to pay for the soldier’s release is highly controversial in Israel.