The rally
Photo: Ido Beker
Neighbor from Mitzpeh Hila. Gilad Shalit
Photo: AP
Parents of new IDF recruits rally for Shalit
'We felt it was time to remind the State of its obligation to its soldiers in general and to Gilad in particular,' mothers say as their sons board buses en route to IDF reception base
Hundreds of new IDF recruits boarded buses in Haifa Tuesday morning en route to the Military Induction Center in Tel Hashomer, while some of the enlistees' mothers held a rally nearby calling for the release of captive soldier Gilad Shalit.
The parents, all residents of the Western Galilee region, chose their sons' first day in the armed forces to support their neighbor from Mitzpeh Hila.
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"We decided that this was the time to remind the State of its obligation to its soldiers in general and to Gilad in particular," she continued, "Every parent and soldier here today is wondering what the State will do in the event of another kidnapping."
Savir said the motivation among the Galilee's teens to enlist in combat units remains "very high" despite Shalit's kidnapping.
Shalit was captured by Palestinian terrorists during a cross-border raid on an army base near Gaza on June 25, 2006.
