'Gilad Shalit wants an apartment too'

Activists calling for kidnapped soldier's release march to Ehud Barak's home, hang cloths detailing defense minister's failures. 'People lost their trust – want answers,' says protester

Yoav Malka|Published: 08.05.11 , 15:20

Some 50 activists calling for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit marched on Friday from Beit Hachayal (Soldiers' Hostels) in Tel Aviv toward the residence of Defense Minister Ehud Barak in protest of the delays in signing a prisoner exchange deal that will see the release of Shalit.

The protesters waved signs reading: "Gilad also wants an apartment," and "social justice is bringing Gilad home."

Receive Ynetnews updates directly to your desktop

During the procession, activists blocked Pinkas Street for approximately 20 minutes.

United Cause

Shalit, doctors, tent protesters bind together

Yoav Malka

Father of kidnapped soldier, organizers of protests against housing costs visit IMA chief at his tent before Netanyahu's office, where he has been on hunger strike for six days. 'Prime minister can solve our problem in one day,' he says

Shalit, doctors, tent protesters bind together

When the protesters arrived outside of the defense minister's residence, they stretched a rope and hung six cloths, on which they wrote "each of Barak's failures throughout his years in public service," one protester explained.

Among the failures, the activists listed "abandoning a soldier, Yoav Galant's botched appointment as the chief of staff and the splintering of the Labor party.

"Ehud Barak, come down. Five years – zero results. The people demand answers," said one of the protesters, adding that if he was Barak's son, he would be in a different situation.

Hadar Miller told Ynet that she voted for Barak "because I though he was a leader, but he's nothing but a blabbermouth. He's lost my vote."

Kobi Ne'eman from Rishon Lezion added that "Gilad's outcry has not been overshadowed by the other protests in recent weeks. Beginning tomorrow, there will be a tent for Gilad on Rothschild Boulevard."

Ne'eman stressed that the protest was spontaneously organized and was not coordinated by the Shalit family.

During the procession, activists blocked Pinkas street for approximately 20 minutes.

"Israel's citizens need to know who their defense minister is. Where is the defense minister during this protest wave that is sweeping the country? He hasn’t said a word," said one of the participants.

"Bringing Gilad home is a security matter, but it's also about values. Barak lost the people's trust. No one will follow him anymore," Ne'eman added.

Also on Friday, dozens Dozens of motorcycles held a convoy from Latrun junction to the Shalit family's protest tent in front of the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem.

After arriving at the tent, the motorcyclists met with Gilad's father, Noam Shalit.