Shai from Jerusalem: Another unhappy birthday for Gilad Schalit

Gilad Schalit turned 21 yesterday. In his home in Mitzpeh Hilla in the Galilee they prepared a birthday cake with 22 candles – 21 for his past birthdays and one for the year to come. But Gilad Schalit has not come home – he was not there to blow out the candles and enjoy the cake that his mother prepared for him.

A little over a year has gone by since Gilad Schalit was taken hostage – 429 days to be precise. He was kidnapped from Israeli territory on June 25th, 2006 in a series of events that began with an attack on Israel in which he was seized and deteriorated into the Second Lebanon War.

Gilad Schalit was taken across the border into the Gaza Strip, where he has been held ever since. Nobody knows exactly where, but the evaluation is that he is in the hands of one of the Hamas factions. Hamas has not claimed direct responsibility for kidnapping Schalit, however it has stated that it is prepared to mediate his release. Once over the course of this year, Schalit's captors released a tape with a message from him, asking his parents to put pressure on the Israeli government in order to secure his freedom. But two months have gone by since then, and there has been no further sign of life from Gilad Schalit.

The negotiations with the Hamas are being mediated through Egypt.  Israel has offered to release terrorists from prison but apparently not in the quantity or quality that the Hamas expects. Obviously, the terrorists will try to get as much mileage as they can out of any potential deal. Israel is afraid that if they pay too high a price, they will encourage the perpetration of more abductions in the future.

A mood of frustration hangs over Israel. The general feeling is that the negotiations are not moving fast enough. Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who were abducted in the north by Hezbollah a few days after Gilad Schalit, are also still in captivity. The soldiers' families have been running a campaign in Israel and abroad in order to bring their sons home.

All over Israel people, many of whom have never met Gilad Schalit, were “celebrating” his birthday. A symbolic party was held in Tel-Aviv’s Rabin Square, throughout the day national radio stations played songs dedicated to him and notices were set up at highway junctions around the country reminding us that for the second time, Gilad Schalit is spending his birthday in isolation, incarcerated somewhere in Gaza.

It is not certain what it is that will make Hamas change its mind and compromise with Israel. So far, the organization has been immune to international pressure, but the situation in Gaza is so bad that they may be willing to consider this possibility.

In the meantime, wherever you may be, please say a prayer for the safe return of Gilad Schalit, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev and do all that you can to put pressure on Hamas and Hezbollah.

Every day that goes by without them is precious.