As the prisoner swap deal with Hizbullah draws
near, dozens of friends of kidnapped soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev gathered on Saturday morning to honor the two year anniversary of their capture. They met at the site of the kidnapping near the northern town of Zar'it and carried signs featuring pictures of the two, and afterwards visited the soldiers' homes.
Miki Goldwasser, Ehud's mother, said: "We are very anxious; extremely nervous. It is very difficult for us to stand it. I really want this week to be over already and for no more obstacles to block the deal. I hope two years of nightmares end here."
| Court Decision |
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| High Court rejects petition against Kuntar's release / Efrat Weiss |
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Judges accept State's position that not including Lebanese terrorist who murdered three Israelis in prisoner swap will result in deal's collapse and have severe diplomatic, defense-related ramifications |
| לכתבה המלאה |
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The kidnapped soldiers' parents are awaiting a call about the date on which the deal will be carried out. "The lack of certainty is awful. I want to know the date, the moment in which, I believe, I can hug Udi (Ehud)," she continued.
Shlomo Goldwasser, Ehud's father, said he couldn't believe the soldiers' captivity had lasted two years. "If you look at the past, and previous deals, it may have taken longer. But in our case, maybe as a result of lack of experience or maybe because after the war it appeared as though UN Security Resolution 1701 would free the boys, we were sure the affair was drawing to a close," he said.
He added that the two year anniversary was just another day for the family. "It doesn't matter if it's the second day after the kidnapping, or the two year anniversary," he remarked, adding that ending the soldiers' captivity is "a very important national interest, and not just to our family," as the country should not have to undergo another Ron Arad affair.
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Friends gather at kidnapping point. (Photo: Hagai Aharon)
The parents thanked the soldiers' friends, who visited their home. "It's very important that friends and the media continue to fight for Gilad Shalit's release," Miki Goldwasser said, hugging her visitors.
Earlier dozens of the soldiers' friends gathered at the place in which they had been kidnapped. David Luvretzki, who served in the same unit with the two soldiers, said he believed army procedures had been changed since the kidnapping. In his opinion, under the command of Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi the IDF is more prepared for such incidents.
Miki Leibovitch, who heads the headquarters of the public's campaign for the hostages' release, remarked: "I shudder to stand at this place, at the moment in which the kidnapping occurred."
He criticized the government for a list of failures and media spins that brought to the 2-year long captivity. "If the prime minister was available for anything other than his own personal issues, this would have been over a long time ago."
Last week the government approved an agreement with Hizbullah, which sees the return of the kidnapped soldiers to Israel in exchange for the release of convicted murderer Samir Kuntar. As part of the deal, 190 bodies of Hizbullah operatives were exhumed from an Israeli cemetery in preparation for their return to Lebanon.
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