_a.jpg "צילום: אלי אלגרט")
Kidnapped soldiers' reps: They're in danger
Organizers of campaign to return kidnapped soldiers hold press conference in Tel Aviv, call for immediate return of captives. Major General (Res.) Uzi Dayan: 'Time is critical – State of Israel doesn't have sign of life from soldiers; we must prevent another Ron Arad episode'
Major General (Res.) Uzi Dayan warned of a "very great danger. Time is critical - up until today the State of Israel has not managed to receive a sign of life. We could have done that. Part of the ceasefire agreement was to include the transfer of the captives to Lebanese authorities."
Major General Dayan added that "the danger is growing and if the situation continues as it is we will receive another Ron Arad case and another. This is what we must prevent"
The Campaign for the Return of the Captives announced that it will organize a large solidarity rally next Thursday for returning the captives.
Dayan added that on Monday, he was planning to meet with representatives of ambassadors stationed in Israel, whose countries were planning to donate money for the recovery of Lebanon.
"We will tell them that they should take into account that their money will be used to build bridges and roads, but our kidnapped soldiers have no solution. We'll ask that they adopt a demand to transfer the kidnapped soldier to the Lebanese government," he said.
The Campaign for the Return of the Captives invited the general public to take part in the solidarity rally, which will be held next week on Thursday.
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Dayan, Bar Shalom, and Barkai. 'They are suffering every passing day' (Photo: Eli Elgarat)
Yarden Gat, girlfriend of Udi Goldwasser, asked all those who arrived to bring a blue balloon with them. "This will be a rally the likes of which have not been seen. This is a rally which everyone supports without connection to political opinion. At the end of the rally, all of the participants will pop the balloons and this noise, I hope, will awaken all of Israel, including those dosing up there (in the government)," she said.
'They're not a myth, they're real people'
Hila Barkai-Arbel, a lawyer of Udi Goldwasser, told the press conference that the situation was critical, and that immediate action was needed to release the soldiers.
"We expect that they be returned home immediately. Now, immediately, urgently. Something has to be done to bring them home. We want a sign of life. Every day that passes, that we sit here, is a day they are sitting and suffering in captivity. Udi must not be forgotten, Gilad and Eldad are not a myth, but real people," she said.
Yair Ahen, a Platoon Commander (Res.) in the brigade of captives Goldwasser and Regev, expressed disappointment in how the Israeli government ran the war: "All of the soldiers who fought like lions, forgive me, but we as a nation lost this war; 14 years ago my commander at training camp 1 Elazar Stern said that it's okay to follow your commanders with closed eyes as long as you open your eyes once in a while to see if their eyes are wide open. I am turning to the prime minister and telling him – we are behind you, but open your eyes."
Among family representatives was Ilan Bar Shalom of Mizpeh Hila, a classmate of Gilad Shalit since elementary school. Bar Shalom said that next week marks Shalit's 20th birthday, but although the family is skeptical about celebrating this year, they expect to celebrate subsequent birthdays with him. "We really want to celebrate with Gilad his next birthdays," he said.
He addressed Operation Summer Rains launched by the IDF in Gaza following the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit: "The IDF's response to enter Gaza in the week Gilad was kidnapped endangered Gilad and didn't help at all to return him," he said.
The release of reserve soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, kidnapped by Hizbullah and taken to Lebanon on July 12, is included in the preamble to UN resolution 1701 which brought about a ceasefire after 34 days of fighting between Israel and Hizbullah.
The release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, kidnapped to Gaza on June 25, does not appear in the UN resolution.
