Captured soldier's family marching to Jerusalem

JERUSALEM — The family of a captured Israeli soldier, flanked by hundreds of supporters, set out Sunday on a 12-day march to Jerusalem to press their government to make a deal with Hamas militants to win his freedom.

Sgt. Gilad Schalit was taken captive four years ago during a cross-border raid by militants from the Gaza Strip. His parents say they will camp outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official residence until the government wins the release of their 23-year-old son, who hasn't been seen in person since he was seized.

"Today we say, 'We won't wait any longer, we won't wait any longer in our home,'" Schalit's father, Noam Schalit, said before the start of the march. Israel's leaders, he added, "have to put an end to this sad saga."

Thousands, including supermodel Bar Refaeli and dozens of local celebrities, are expected to join the march from the Schalits' home in northern Israel to Jerusalem.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said about 2,000 supporters accompanied the family as it left its home in the small community of Mitzpe Hila on the Israel-Lebanon border. Many wore yellow ribbons or T-shirts with the soldier's photo.

Some carried signs reading, "Gilad Schalit, we're waiting at home for you," and "The government of Israel, Gilad Schalit is screaming, 'Help!'"

Israel has agreed to release many of the 1,000 Palestinian prisoners that Hamas wants freed, but has balked at freeing some who were convicted in deadly attacks on Israelis. It also objects to releasing them to their homes in the neighboring West Bank for fear they would establish militant footholds there, and wants them deported.

Schalit's ordeal has touched a nerve in Israel, where military service is compulsory for most Jews, and almost all Jewish families have relatives who serve. The march dominated Israeli newspapers Sunday, and one leading daily, Haaretz, implored the government to make the necessary concessions to bring Schalit home. A recent poll suggested that a large majority of Israelis would be willing to see convicted killers released so he could go free.

The Schalits launched the protest march after Israel eased its blockade of Gaza last week without assuring their son's release.

Israel began restricting the movement of goods into and out of Gaza after Schalit was captured, hoping to pressure Hamas to release him, and later imposed an all-out blockade after Hamas overran the territory a year later.

That embargo was eased in recent weeks after a deadly Israeli raid on a blockade-busting flotilla drew an international outcry over the plight of 1.5 million Gazans affected by the embargo.

Schalit's parents now say the Israeli government has abandoned their son and lost important leverage over Hamas by easing the blockade.

Netanyahu told his Cabinet on Sunday that the government was working to free the serviceman and urged the international community "to stand by the state of Israel in its unequivocal and just demand that our captive soldier be returned immediately."

Israel has been negotiating Schalit's release through Egyptian and German mediators because it does not have direct talks with Hamas, which it considers a terror organization.

Little is known about Schalit's condition. His captors have barred any access to him and released only a brief videotaped statement last year to prove he was still alive.

Israel has a long history of paying a disproportionate price for its captive soldiers. However, there has been no indication the government might yield to the public pressure generated by the march. Some officials have suggested the protests would be counterproductive and cause Hamas to dig in deeper.

Hamas had no comment on the march Sunday.

Also Sunday, Palestinians clashed with Israeli police in east Jerusalem near an enclave of Israeli settlers in the neighborhood of Silwan. Police said around 150 protesters threw stones, slightly wounding six policemen. There were no immediate reports of injured protesters.

Israeli moves to settle Jews in largely Palestinian neighborhoods in Jerusalem have raised tensions in the city.

The Associated Press

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Hamas Officials Supportive of Syrian-Israeli Talks

04/05/2009

By Kifah Zaboun

Ramallah, Asharq Al-Awsat – Two high-level ranking Hamas leaders have vehemently emphasized that the Hamas organization does not operate in any Arab or non-Arab territory and that it has no military activity except in Palestine. In statements to Asharq Al-Awsat, Yahya Musa and Atif Adwan stressed that Hamas is satisfied with the Syrian role in supporting the Palestinian issue, and noted that Syria's stance is different from the stances adopted by several Arab countries. They said that Hamas respects the Syrian option to hold dialogue with Israel, that these negotiations are legitimate, and that there is no reason for concern about the outcome of these negotiations.

Both Hamas leaders were commenting on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's interview in Asharq Al-Awsat where he stated that Hamas and Hezbollah would not attack Israel from Syria. He pointed out that in the direct negotiations with Israel through Turkish mediation efforts, he reached a stage closer to an agreement than that reached in the era of his father's negotiations with the then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and former US President Bill Clinton in 2000.

Yahya Musa, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and deputy leader of the Hamas bloc in the council, said that Hamas does not interfere in the affairs or options of other Arab country, but respects these options. He added: "We know that the Arab regimes have their own needs, but we do not interfere in the political dealings that have to do with the circumstances, balances, and situations facing these countries."

Musa said that the Muslim community of nation should focus its efforts on backing the Palestinian issue because it is an Arab and Islamic cause. He added: "We are against the divisions that prompted the nation to shirk its responsibility toward contributing to the Palestinian efforts and resistance to the occupation. However, this does not mean that we should dictate to this or that country advice." He added: "These are big and independent states that have their own conditions, circumstances, and complicated situations." He stressed that "we accept whatever all Arab countries any effort they make and whatever they offer. We consider that a state like Syria has borne a great deal in the interest of the Palestinian question. We are satisfied with the Syrian position that embraces the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine and defends it in various forums." He said: "We did not oppose the other Arab countries that took a position against Hamas, nor did we attack them or make an issue with them. We accepted their efforts and dealt with them according to what Arab relations and sensitivities dictate."

As to why Hamas rejects Palestinian-Israeli negotiations whereas it agrees to Arab-Israeli negotiations, Musa said: "The Palestinian affair concerns us. We are responsible for our people, and have our free option entrusted with us by our people."More



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