Israel divided as masses march for release of captive solder

tel aviv  |  Thousands of marchers brought Israel’s cultural and financial capital to a standstill, urging the government to do whatever it takes to win freedom for a soldier captured four years ago by Gaza militants.

Near Israel’s border with Gaza, thousands more gathered for a concert led by a world-famous conductor to press Hamas to let the Red Cross visit Sgt. Gilad Shalit for the first time.

The two scenes July 5 — aimed at drawing renewed attention to the soldier’s plight — are part of a high-profile campaign that has opened deep divisions in Israel and put Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the defensive.

While the nation overwhelmingly wants Shalit to come home to his family, disagreements remain over whether the price demanded by Hamas is too high: the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including many convicted of terror attacks.

There is broad consensus that something must be done. But not everyone blames the government for its inability to free Shalit. Some are aiming their anger at Hamas, an Iranian-backed group that has killed hundreds of Israelis, while others have even criticized the Shalit movement, saying it is weakening Israel and making it less likely he will ever be freed.

Hamas-linked militants seized Shalit four years ago inside Israel in a cross-border raid that killed two other soldiers. In return for his release, Hamas is demanding that Israel free some 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including militants convicted of involvement in deadly attacks. Israel is holding an estimated 6,300 Palestinian prisoners, according to B’Tselem, an Israeli advocacy group.

Shalit’s family has taken to the streets to try to force the Israeli government to bend, and the campaign has drawn some 120,000 marchers, according to organizers.

The 12-day march was to end on July 8 outside the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem, where the Shalit family has pledged to camp until they see their son again.

Israelis march in support of the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in Tel Aviv on July 5. photo/ap/ariel shalit

On July 5, the paradelike procession arrived in Tel Aviv, bringing parts of the capital to a standstill. Marchers wore

T-shirts bearing Shalit’s image, and teenagers in scout uniforms chanted, “Don’t give up! Gilad is still alive!”

Drivers stuck in traffic honked their horns in support, and soldiers at the Israeli military’s headquarters in Tel Aviv cheered as the marchers passed.

Also July 5, conductor Zubin Mehta held a concert near the Israel-Gaza border to call for Shalit’s release. “We hope and we pray that the music will inspire people on the other side to open their hearts,” Mehta told the audience of thousands, urging Hamas to let Red Cross representatives see the soldier.

The Israeli public appears to overwhelmingly support the family’s call, with polls indicating up to 75 percent approval. The country’s main newspapers endorsed the march — even distributing the Shalit campaign’s yellow ribbons in solidarity — and some TV anchors sign off by marking the soldier’s days in captivity.

Netanyahu has been careful not to confront the family directly, but has made it clear that despite Israel’s long history of paying a disproportionate price for its captive soldiers, he will not free Palestinians who might resume their deadly attacks.

“I am not willing to repeat a policy that with the test of time led to the murders of dozens of Israelis,” he said in a special televised address July 1.

Netanyahu said a mediator’s offer that Israel had “agreed to accept called for the release of 1,000 terrorists. This is the price I am prepared to pay to bring Gilad home. I said yes to the deal and it is ready for immediate implementation. But there are prices that I am not prepared to pay and they are not included in this difficult deal.”

Shalit’s father, Noam, said after the speech that Netanyahu was recycling the words of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill June 24 that demands that “Hamas immediately and unconditionally release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit” and also allow “prompt access to the Israeli captives” by doctors and Red Cross officials. A similar resolution is under consideration in the Senate.

Also, a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid for Shalit sailed from Pier 40 on New York’s West Side to the United Nations on the East Side on June 25, the eve of the fourth anniversary of his capture. The flotilla, composed of two ships and a few motorboats, aimed to raise awareness about Shalit’s captivity.

In Israel, some people who lost family members in suicide bombings and other Palestinian attacks hope Israel will not release convicted killers.

“For victims, it is very important to know that the one who hurt you will not hurt others again,” said Meir Indor, chairman of the Almagor Terror Victims Association. “It is not a need for vengeance. It’s a need for balance.”

Ron Kehrmann, whose 17-year-old daughter Tal was killed in a Palestinian bus bombing in 2003, opposes a swap that could free those responsible for his daughter’s death.

“Everyone would like to see the kidnapped soldier free; the only debate is the price,” he said. “Unfortunately, I paid the price and I know what it is like to pay the price.”

His ex-wife, Orly, disagreed. “We constantly live under threats. I don’t think that releasing these 1,000 terrorists will change that much. But, as a people, I think that not getting Gilad released is much worse,” she said. “My daughter cannot be brought back. Gilad Shalit still can be.”