Saturday, June 25, 2011

All (not) quiet on the Western Negev front

Today marks 5 years since Gilad Shalit was captured by the Hamas.
For 5 years his whereabouts have been unknown and neither the Red Cross nor his family have been able to have contact with him.

Things are relatively quiet here now.
Just a few, random rockets every now and then
Just a few, random helicopters going overhead into Gaza, every now and then
Just a very few Gazans allowed to cross the Erez checkpoint every now and then

Things are quiet for the Shalit family
No sound from their son Gilad.
No sound from their government that they are doing something concrete to bring him home

Things are too quiet for the Shalit family
and so they know no quiet

Today, 5 years after Gilad's capture, there will be demonstrations at the place where he was captured - Kerem Shalom, visits to the Shalit tent in Jerusalem (across from the Prime Minister's home), a demonstration at Nativ Ha'asara, the moshav closest to Gaza (a concrete wall borders the moshav)

Today the quiet will be disturbed as we call for Gilad's release, for allowing the Red Cross to visit him, for his family to send him a letter, to receive a letter from him

Today, June 25th, 2011, we in the Western Negev and in Gaza know a bit of quiet
But none of us know peace
None of us know security
None of us are truly able to breathe deeply the beautiful air that surrounds our home

Noam, Aviva and the Shalit family know no quiet
Gilad knows no quiet
And we will know no quiet until we bring him home, and undertake alternative non-violent ways of  living in this region with our neighbors.

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