Shalit family rallies outside cabinet meeting
Dozens of protestors gather near PM's Office for weekly demonstration; three ministers stop by and express their support
Relatives of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit and dozens of supporters staged a protest Sunday morning outside the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, where the cabinet meeting was being held.
The protestors stood near the entrance to the government offices, while the captive's parents, Noam and Aviva Shalit, were allowed to stand near the gate used by the ministers to enter the meeting.
Unlike last week, when the ministers avoided meeting the family and entered through a side door, this time three cabinet members – Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch (Yisrael Beiteinu), Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) Minister for Minority Affairs Avishay Braverman (Labor) – got out of their cars, stopped by the family members and expressed their support.
The ministers noted that their opinion regarding the release of terrorists for Shalit was well known and that they had no plans to change it. Minister Aharonovitch told the parents he embraces and supports them.
The parents held signs reading, "Every Jewish mother should know that she has left her sons' fate in the hands of leaders who don't deserve it," and "They are afraid."
Following their protest march from Mitzpe Hila to Jerusalem several weeks ago, in which thousands of Israelis took part, the Shalit family members vowed that they would protest outside the cabinet meeting every single week in a bid to pressure the ministers to agree to a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.
"There is no news," Noam Shalit told Ynet on Sunday morning. "We keep on hearing about talks, but nothing comes out of it."
Last week, the captive's father said that he did not expect the ministers to stop by the protestors. "After so many years, we don't expect talks, we expect action – and mainly results," he said.
"We call on the public, anyone who cares about bringing Gilad back, to join us on Sundays at 9 am."
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