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Inside Israel

5000 cycle for abducted soldiers’ release


By Stan Goodenough
June 24, 2007

A year has passed since IDF Corporal Gilad Schalit was shot and snatched from his base near Gaza by Hamas terrorists, sending his family into a nightmare of fear and uncertainty about his safety.

On Saturday his father, Noam Schalit, appealed to the Olmert government to do more to secure the release of his son and two other soldiers kidnapped by the Lebanese Hizb’allah, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.

Only Schalit’s family has received any proof that his son is alive.

“I hope the government will pick up its pace, he said, even as he acknowledged that the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip had frozen all efforts to negotiate for Gilad’s release.

Schalit was speaking at a rally of about 5000 cyclists who participated in a 28km ride in support of the kidnapped soldiers and to try pressure Jerusalem to take more effective action on their behalf.

The rally was followed Sunday by a car procession from Schalit’s Galilee hometown to the Knesset in Jerusalem where a demonstration was held.

Just two Knesset members made the effort to appear at the Jerusalem demonstration, which was attended by only a few hundred Israeli citizens.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has indicated a few times that he is working to get Gilad home. There has been, however, very little sign of effort, or of progress.

Some observers have noted that a quid pro quo kidnapping and holding incommunicado of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh may have sent the message that Israel was serious about getting the soldier released.

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