Eyal Regev
צילום: עידו ארז
War shouldn't have ended, says captive's brother
Eyal Regev: Israel should not have stopped pressuring Hizbullah until kidnapped soldiers return
The Israeli government should not have ended operations against Hizbullah until the return of the two abducted Israel Defense Forces soldiers was secured, the brother of one of the captives said Wednesday evening.
Speaking at Haifa University, Eyal Regev, whose brother Eldad was kidnapped along with Ehud Goldwasser on July 12 by Hizbullah, stated: "Pressure against Hizbullah should have continued until they returned home. The pressure could have continued without endangering IDF soldiers."
Speaking with a strained voice, Regev dismissed the Israeli government's claim that UN Resolution 1701, which called on Hizbullah to release the soldiers, entailed further negotiations to secure the captive's freedom.
"I don't accept Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni's statement that the UN resolution does not on its own equal the release of the soldiers, and that we need further extensive negotiations," Regev said.
The captive's brother said he had received a great deal of support from Jewish communities around the world. "I thank them for that support," he said.
Speaking with Ynetnews, Regev said: "I hope that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the IDF, and the intelligence chiefs are acting day and night to return the soldiers, and that they do not allow any challenges to stand in the way of that."
Earlier, Professor Menachem Kellner, of Haifa University's Jewish History Department, said that the entire country was obligated by Judaism to act towards securing the soldiers' release.
"Captivity is seen by Jewish sources as the worst fate. Obtaining the release of captives is a high-value mitzvah," Kellner said. "Anyone who doesn't help in this is violating a series of commandments," he added.
