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Shalit activists launch 'stretcher march'
Dozens of youths march from Mount Herzl Cemetery to prime minister's residence under slogan 'Bibi finish what you started', in hopes of bringing release of captive solder Gilad Shalit closer
Ronen Medzini
Some 100 youths from the headquarters of the campaign for captive soldier Gilad Shalit embarked on a stretcher march in Jerusalem on Monday under the banner, "Bibi, finish what you started."
The youths, wearing Gilad Shalit
T-shirts and holding flags, made their way from the Mount Herzl Cemetery to the prime minister's residence, where a rally will be held later in the day.
The captive solder's father, Noam Shalit is also slated to attend the rally.
Twelfth-grader Ayelet Tal, who is taking part in the event, told Ynet, "Gilad is not here and cannot run, so we have to do it for him. I am in good shape, but even if I wasn't, I wouldn't mind sweating, fainting, or whatever it takes, since this is what he did for me in the army."
Stretcher march in Jerusalem (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
Amir Goldschmidt, one of the initiative's organizers, told the gathering crowd: "You are the genuine, quality youth, not the ones that sit in front of reality shows on television, but get up and take action."
"This is a group of youths from all over the country that are sending a message to (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu that a tape
is nice, but Gilad is still not here. We expect him to continue on the same path, to finish the job, and we are behind him," Goldschmidt told Ynet.
The youths participating in the march are all pre-military recruitment. Goldschmidt said these are "people that join the army as a right, and not just as an obligation, and are willing to die for the country if need be, but also need to know that the State is behind them in the event of their capture or injury."
Israel Fein, Noam Shalit's cousin joined the march and said, "This is a great initiative by young men before the military who are learning a lesson in democracy, it is a moral duty to hear them out.
"I appreciate them, and Amir, head of the youth's headquarters in particular, very much. As future civilians, this is very important."
Addressing the crowd, Fein the said, "You have a moral voice that much be heard. We hope that the tape doesn't lead the captains to decide that Gilad is okay so they can wait."
The stretcher march is the first form of public protest for Shalit since the release of the video of him by Hamas on Friday. Following the videotape deal, the headquarters of the campaign for Shalit adopted a new slogan
for its struggle: "Bibi, you can do it, finish the job."
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