Rally in north: Shalit cries out from Hamas dungeon
Kiryat Motzkin raises flag calling for kidnapped soldier's release. Noam Shalit: Two prime ministers failed to bring Gilad home
Noam Shalit, father of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, said he was "disappointed" that two prime ministers had not succeeded in releasing his son from captivity.
Speaking on Sunday during a ceremony in Kiryat Motzkin for the raising of a flag calling for his son's release, Noam Shalit said, "Two prime ministers failed to bring Gilad home, and this flag reminds us that Gilad continues to cry out from Hamas' dungeons– a faint, mute cry asking for only one thing: His freedom."
Gilad's grandfather, Zvi Shalit called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "give the order that will bring about (Gilad's) release. He (Netanyahu) has the ability and the authority to do this."
The giant flag was prepared by the Kiryat Motzkin Municipality with the help of local elementary school children. Mayor Haim Zuri urged Netanyahu and his cabinet to "reach a decision."
"Clearly, this decision will not be an easy one, but the kidnapped soldier must be released," he said. "This flag, which cannot be ignored, will remind each and every one of us of the need to act."
On Friday evening some 300 people attended a rally outside the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem, in which they called on Netanyahu to work for the quick release of Shalit.
The event was held under the banner, "Welcoming Shabbat in captivity", and the participants were served with water and dry pieces of bread.
Noam Shalit, attended the protest with his son Yoel. "Gilad has been crying out quietly for four long years, four years which are like eternity for him, four years in which he has not seen the light of day," he said.
"He is crying out to us just like dear Ron (missing navigator Ron Arad) did in his last letter, crying out to those who sent him on the mission from which he did not return, in which his freedom was deprived. But they are just replacing seats – and not responding."
Gilad Shalit was kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists during a cross-border raid on an IDF base near Gaza on December 25, 2006.
