Mitzpe Hila: Protest against Gaza operation
Some 50 yeshiva students come to express support for Shalit family. Women's group takes advantage of large media presence, protests IDF activity in Gaza
Among the many guests who came Tuesday to visit the family of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, in their home in Mitzpe Hila, two groups stood out from the crowd. In the early afternoon hours, almost fifty students from the high school yeshiva in Shalavim stood near the family's home and prayed for Gilad's safety and wellbeing.
Soon afterwards, six women from the Tel Aviv area arrived at the entrance of the community and called upon the government to stop the operation in Gaza and begin negotiations with Hamas to return Gilad in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Support signs (Photo: Ahiya Raved)
At 4 p.m. on Tuesday, the students from Shalavim, seniors who were on a class trip in the area, arrived at Mitzpe Hila. One of the rabbis approached the family home and expressed the support of the faculty and staff to the family.
Shai Schiller, a councilor who accompanied the group, said that in events such as the kidnapping of a soldier, proponents and opponents of the government put aside their differences.
"This is about saving a life, and there is complete consensus about the need to pray and ask for help."
Standing near the soldier's house, the students prayed mincha (the afternoon prayer), cited Psalms and prayed especially for "IDF soldiers, among them Gilad, son of Aviva, the kidnapped soldier…our brothers, sons of Israel captive or in trouble…to be lifted from trouble to relief and from discrimination to light."
A different perspective
An hour later, another group arrived, this time a women requesting to protest against the operation in Gaza. The women demanded that the government negotiation with Hamas and agree to a prisoner exchange.
One among the women, Racheli Merhav from Tel Aviv, told Ynet that the protesters came to Mitzpe Hila in order to express their openness to the idea of negotiation.
"We came so that the IDF wouldn't send our children back to Gaza, in order that the conflict be solved by negotiation, without casualties on either side. In response to the claim that release of prisoners will only lead to more kidnappings, we have an equally valid claim: that bloodshed will only lead to more bloodshed. The only way to stop the bloodshed is through negotiation," she said.
In answer to the question of any pain that a protest in Mizpeh Hila might cause the anxious Shalit family, the protesters claimed that the community was the appropriate place in order to pass along the critical message.
