Gilad Shalit
Photo: Amit Magal
Yoav Belkes
Friends of Shalit hold Seder outside Netanyahu's house
Members of headquarters for release of captive soldier Gilad Shalit hold Passover Seder outside prime minister's house, 1,018 days after his kidnapping. Activists say all MKs were invited, but none showed up
Yet another Passover in Hamas captivity: Dozens of members of the headquarters for the release of Gilad Shalit have decided to pass on the warmth of their homes and spending Pesach Seder with their families Wednesday night, and instead held the dinner outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's private home in Jerusalem, in hopes of being able to celebrate Passover together with Gilad next year.
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Captain (Res.) Yoav Belkes, who served as Shalit's company commander, told Ynet about the unconventional Seder: "We brought many signs for Gilad. People donated food, tables and lighting. We sat in a small park right across the prime minister's house. Only the friends came, without family members. We did what Gilad would have done, not an ordinary Seder.
"Each person said a few words. It's a bit chilly here and it drizzled a bit. No one has come out to speak to us from the prime minister's house. Maybe after they finish their Seder they will have time for us." Belkes expressed hopes that "we will hold the next Seder with Gilad, and Rosh Hashana. We hope to even spend the Second Passover with Gilad".
The activists said around tables arranged in a U shape, with an empty chair in the middle featuring a flag and Shalit's picture surrounded by a barbed wire fence. The Seder will be held in complete silence, with police officers and Netanyahu's security guard looking out on the participants. "The struggle will not be over until Gilad is returned," a sign read.
Guy Eliasaf, a friend of Shalit's from the army, said, "We are here to demand Bibi learns from his predecessor's mistakes and understands that it is his obligation to put Gilad's return at the top of his priority list. We demand that he does everything to enable the Shalit family to celebrate the holiday like every other normal family in the country.
"We invited all the Knesset members to the Seder and not one has shown their face. We are concerned over the government's disregard for Gilad and demand everything be done to bring Gilad home as quickly as possible."
On Tuesday, Gilad's parents Aviva and Noam Shalit had their first meeting with PM Netanyahu – a meeting which left them sounding pessimistic."There is no reason for optimism at the moment, though we still hope that things will change. I hope things will start moving," Shalit's father said after leaving the meeting.
"We still do not see his freedom on the horizon, and I hope things will start to move more significantly," Noam Shalit added. When asked whether they planned to resume the fight to get Gilad back, Noam said, "We didn't say we'd relaunch the fight, we said that we'd consider it and we are still considering it. We can't say any more about what was said at the meeting right now."
Gilad Shalit was kidnapped into the Gaza Strip 1,018 days ago
Gil Naveh contributed to this report
