What about Gilad Shalit shut away in a silent void
It was early on Sunday morning, 25 th June, four years ago that a young man of 19 stood at his army post.
The soldier, just a lad and a corporal, was suddenly ambushed, two of his comrades killed and three others wounded
Gilad Shalit, born in Nahariya, broke his left hand when his tank was hit with a rocket-propelled grenade.
No one has seen, visited or spoken to him since.
Out of the terrible silence came a video last September, a plea bargain by the Israelis in exchange for the release of 1000 Palestinian prisoners, to see whether their soldier was still alive and inwhat kind of health.
Shalit spoke softly and falteringly. He looked pale, withdrawn and thin, but he stood up, walked a few paces and appeared to be lucid.
His terrible fate is is every soldier’s mother’s nightmare. Only death could be worse than what the Shalit family must have endured.
This week Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told the Knesset- “There are 1.5 million people living in Gaza and only one of them really needs humanitarian aid. Only one of them is locked in a tiny room and never sees the light of day, only one of them is not allowed visits and is in uncertain health – his name is Gilad Shalit, and this month four years will have passed since he was kidnapped.”
There are many others in Gaza who need humanitarian aid in my view and an inclusive policy would be a better road to take.
But Hamas continues to violate international law without punishment or even large-scale condemnation from anyone but Israel and a few stragglers.
No international representative has been allowed to see the isolated Shalit or check on his condition. Hamas has refused requests from the Red Cross to visit the soldier, and human rights organizations have stated the terms and conditions of Shalit’s detention are contrary to international humanitarian law.
Palestinian prisoners in Israel, on the other hand, are allowed to study and receive visits from their families.
Shalit must be treated with more humanity and the world’s focus must be shone on this tragic young man.
The years cannot be allowed to drag on in silence anymore. Imagine if this were your son, brother, husband, and even just stop to think that this is a fellow human being in deep trauma and distress.
Gilad Shalit
June 10th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
Sharon, I love your even-handed point-of-view. I hope one day, Gilad will be able to read this for himself. Wouldn’t that be amazing?
I had a strong reaction to what Ehud Barak said regarding the existence of only one person in need of humanitarian aid. That is so classically one-sided; then I read your counter to that right afterwards and I was very glad you said that, because everyone knows that’s the truth, whether they caused their own misery or didn’t.
June 10th, 2010 at 11:02 pm
Thanks Shim, everyone is entitled to and deserves humanity and respect. Vital to hold on to that in the midst of the juggernaut speed our society is moving and changing.
And yes, wouldn’t it be amazing if Gilad could read this one day and breathe in freedom
June 11th, 2010 at 3:04 am
great objective approach !
June 13th, 2010 at 3:52 am
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June 15th, 2010 at 2:38 am
Awful. The world must do something
June 15th, 2010 at 7:44 am
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June 16th, 2010 at 9:40 am
As a member of the human race your article moved me. So often our thin veneer of civilisation shows. As a mother, it haunts me. I just cannot imagine how the family copes with this. I prayfor a happy ending-we really need some.
June 16th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Thanks for continuing to support my blog, Pat. All the Best to you in Zimbabwe where the thin veneer of civilization is indeed paper thin
June 26th, 2010 at 10:10 am
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June 27th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
It would appear that the Israelis are losing it big time. Lately, they can’t seem to do anything right.
Gaza blockade – transforming into a very rapid climb-down caused, in part, by reliance on poor or non-existent ‘flotilla’ intelligence.
Housing construction in Jerusalem – all building work now on temporary (?) hold because of very bad timing issues with the Americans.
Operation Cast Lead – the Goldstone report portrays the Israeli military as having a less than assiduous concern for civilian lives and property. And that, of course, is putting it mildly.
Continued settlement in West Bank areas – not exactly endearing to the Palestinians and making any future peace settlement with them that much harder to achieve. And, let’s face it, that was going to be difficult enough in the first place.
And the list goes on………….and on.
No doubt, there’s another list somewhere detailing the faults and failings associated with the other side.
The upshot being, not only is one side losing it, both are doing so and, by extension, everyone else as well.
The trick, as ever, is how to turn the situation around, redirecting it away from all this negativity and putting a much needed positive spin on the whole affair.
Baby steps toward peace are never going to get us there. Stumbling along, as seems to be the current fashion, makes that even less likely.
No, what’s needed now is one of those so-called ‘giant leaps for mankind.’
http://yorketowers.blogspot.com
‘You’ve got to go out on a limb sometimes because that’s where the fruit is.’
Will Rodgers.
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