Cry to the World- Gilad Shalit Rally

Yesterday I took Gily, my youngest daughter , and with some friends we joined the "Cry to the World ". A rally that took place in Park Eshkol , next to Gaza where Gilad Shalit was kidnapped 4 years ago. This was a non-political event and everyone who took part volunteered. Zubin Mehta thanked all those who participated and said "as you all know, free concerts are very expensive...."



Thousands of people gathered in the park. The Isreali Philharmonic Orchestra , conducted by the famous Zubin Metah , Shlomo Artzi , and top Israeli musicians, all volunteered to give a free concert , in hope to convince Hamas to allow the Red Cross to visit Gilad and allow him basic humitarian rights .

Gilad's parents and brother came from Tel Aviv , where they took a short break from their long protest march - from their home in the north to Jerusalem .

After Noam Shalit , Gilad's father, spoke hundreds of yellow balloons were released to the sky with hope that Gilad will be safe and soon released. Everyone sang together with Shlomo Artzi his song that became a symbol of the support with Gilad - "Yten Mize Anahnu Lo Zrichim " - "This is all we need ...."

As we were leaving, everyone prayed in their heart that this actually made a difference.



Noam & Aviva Shalit, captured soldier Gilad Shalit's parents lead the 8 day protest march (photo by Yakov Brener from ynet)



The protest march winds its way through Tel-Aviv (photo from ynet)

Gilad Shalit - 1000+ days a Prisoner of the Hamas

photo by Gil Yohanan (ynet) of the Shalit family in the protest tent in Jerusalem this week

Today, Saturday, March 21, 2009, marks 1,000 days of captivity of the soldier Gilad Shalit, held in Gaza by the radical Islamist Hamas movement since June 25, 2006. Shalit was kidnapped by Hamas, Army of Islam and Popular Resistance Committees terrorists in an attack on an IDF outpost at a Gaza crossing, where two other soldiers were killed and a fourth was gravely wounded. br>
The Shalit family will commemorate the date with a mass rally in Jerusalem this evening.

The Hamas has never allowed the International Red Cross to visit Gilad Shalit. The Hamas' denial of visits from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) violates the Geneva Convention. The Shalit family still have no proof of whether he is alive, or of his physical and psychological condition.

During its final days in office, the Olmert government attempted a last-ditch bid to secure Gilad Shalit's release, through intensive indirect negotations, mediated by Egypt, with Hamas. The negotiations collapsed this week over the Hamas' insistence that Israel free hardcore militants imprisoned in Israeli jails These dangerous terrorists were involved in planning some of the worst terrorist and suicide-bomb attacks that killed many Israeli civilians and have publicly declared that when released they hope to kill more Israelis.

Pupils from Ort Henri Ronson High School in Ashkelon went up by bus to Jerusalem to support the Shalit family and take part in the vigil in the protest tent. This sticker was designed by 1oth grade student Itai Ben Naim and all the students

wore it on their shirts. 1000 days in captivity. How much longer?

nicole