Israelis across the country stood in silence in the street for five minutes to remember the soldier held captive in Gaza for the last five years.

15.03.11

Tens of thousands of Israeli citizens stopped what they were doing and observed five minutes of silence – one for every year kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit has been in Hamas captivity - on Tuesday at 11 am. The Shalit family members and their supporters protested outside the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem.

the captive soldier's father discussed the initiative and explained: "One minute for each long dark year that Gilad is alone." Noam Shalit noted that "sadly, there is no end in sight to our sorrow.


"This is just symbolic, during that minute each person should think what it's like to pass a year in the pit of darkness in the solitude and seclusion of Gaza's cellars."

Shalit was seized in a cross-border raid by Palestinian militants in June 2006. He has been held by Hamas in Gaza since then, and negotiations aimed at securing his return have to date been unsuccessful.

Organizers of the five-minute protest called on drivers to pull over to the side of the road, workers to leave their offices and stand by the roadside and people in coffeehouses to go outside and do the same. Three airplanes were to photograph what was happening below.



'All you need is Facebook'
The person behind this unusual initiative is Kobi Sidi . Sidi told Ynet he never thought his idea would have such a widespread effect on tens of thousands of people across Israel.


Only three days ago, when the managements of institutes, factories and local authorities began to call me up, did I realize the impact of the whole thing," Sidi said. "Maybe I should have made arrangements in advance together with a public relations firm, but as it turns out you can organize such an event only by using Facebook and two telephones."


Sidi added that despite the use of such modest means, so far he has spent over NIS 50,000 ($14,000), including funds he collected from friends, on printing posters and banners.


Sidi stressed that "Gilad could have been anyone's child. He's not sitting in that pit by choice. I wanted to connect the people to Gilad. To show that even in the midst of our crazy lives here we can still make the time to identify with him."




http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israelis-take-to-the-streets-to-remember-gilad-shalit-1.349315


http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4042502,00.html