ISRAEL: Leaving a man behind

It has been 21 months since Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit was abducted by Gaza Strip militants in a cross-border raid.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was forced to respond to accusations that his government wasn’t doing enough to get Shalit back.

“I can only assess the situation according to the success rate—which currently stands at zero,” said the soldier’s father Noam Shalit at a rally.

Olmert later responded at a press briefing that, “I can understand where (the father’s) emotions are coming from,” but swore that the government was “doing its utmost” to secure the soldier’s release.

The retrieval of captured soldiers, living or dead, is a hugely emotional issue in Israeli society. Public opinion has previously supported wildly disproportionate prisoner swaps. In 2004, Israel released 430 Arab prisoners in exchange for a kidnapped Israeli businessman and the bodies of three soldiers.

Abducted June 25, 2006, Shalit’s whereabouts are said to be unknown. But Israeli forces have shown multiple times that they have extensive knowledge of the inner workings of the tiny Gaza Strip, fueling speculation that they know where Shalit is, but can’t attempt a rescue without risking his life.

Shalit’s name pops up regularly in rumors about possible swaps. The most commonly floated scenario involves an exchange for Marwan Barghouti, a popular and charismatic Palestinian leader currently serving multiple life sentences for planning attacks in Israel.

— Ashraf Khalil in Jerusalem

Photo: Cpl. Gilad Shalit. Credit: Israeli Foreign Ministry