Subscribe to Print Edition | Wed., July 16, 2008 Tamuz 13, 5768 | | Israel Time: 17:07 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Peres Conference Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

An Israeli man Sat. speaking to an IDF soldier as he holds a flag showing abducted soldier Eldad Regev as friends gathered for a memorial at the site of the 2006 abduction by Hezbollah. (AP) Last update - 20:10 12/07/2008 Friends of captive IDF soldiers mark two years since Hezbollah raid By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service Tags: Israel, Hezbollah  Dozens of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev's friends on Saturday marked two years since Hezbollah guerillas kidnapped the Israel Defense Forces soldiers, rallying at the site of the cross-border raid that sparked the Second Lebanon War. The organization representing the soldiers' friends, some of whom belong to Regev and Goldwasser's IDF reservist company, said their new message was: "The struggle isn't over until the last soldier is returned." Miki Leibovitch, the chairman of the group, noted that on exactly this day two years ago the real battle began for to bring the abducted soldiers home. Advertisement He said: "We said then that there wouldn't remain a single citizen in Israel who didn't know who Udi [Ehud], Eldad and Gilad [Shalit] are. To our regret, this fight has taken too much time because of failures and spin and amateurish management on the part of Israel's government, and the preoccupation of the prime minister in other matters." In his last statement, Leibovitch was hinting at the ongoing corruption probe against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that is widely seen as likely to remove him from the premiership. IDF soldier Gilad Shalit was kidnapped by Gaza militants in a cross border raid some two weeks before Goldwasser and Regev were abducted. The rally came as a prisoner exchange with Hezbollah for the return of the two soldiers approached, the swap being set to take place Wednesday or Thursday, at the Rosh Hanikra Israel-Lebanon border crossing, barring any last-minute changes. Shlomo Goldwasser, the father of Ehud Goldwasser, said that the family waiting for the day when the whole story is over. "I don't think that just the families want this to end, but all the people of Israel and the community in the Diaspora. This has become a national interest," Goldwasser said. Both Shlomo Goldwasser and his wife Miki spoke of the feeling over the past few days as the deal seems to be nearing. Miki Goldwasser said they were feeling the height of tension: "These days barely pass. I hope there won't be any more stumbling blocks, I hope that it will all be over, but I have to say that everyone now needs to hug the Shalit family and work for the Gilad's return home." Speaking at the site of the abduction near Moshav Zarit on the Lebanese border, Dudu Lubratzki, a friend of the pair's from their reservist company, said: "When you stand on this spot, it is hard to grasp how all this happened, how Hezbollah men stood and reconnoitered from within the bushes, within territory under Israeli sovereignty." Lubratzki was guarding a post in the IDF's base at Zarit at the time of the abduction. He continued: "I think that if we had initiated more operations and preventative activities before the abduction incident, maybe it would have been possible to foil this harsh incident, but at that hour and at that time when the soldiers were almost at point blank range, even if ... the naval commandos were on the patrol, it wouldn't have been possible to prevent the consequences of the incident." Related articles: Waltz with Nasrallah ANALYSIS / Ron Arad info crucial in advancing Hezbollah deal The sole achievement has been erased Bookmark to del.icio.us   Hezbollah's pleasure For Israelis, the release of Kuntar is a form of self-inflicted torture. 'Nasrallah will pay' Family and friends of abducted soldiers gather to mourn.   1.   "We are tired of fighting... tired of winning" SAYS OLMERT 16:23  |  Dagma 12/07/08   2.   A sad day - Two Years since the 2nd Leb War...... 16:42  |  Dagma 12/07/08   3.   Deplorable how Israel abandoned it`s own 17:52  |  Baruch Gold 12/07/08   4.   Let their be peace 19:45  |  Omar 12/07/08   5.   #1 21:43  |  p 12/07/08   6.   Families should sue UN and red cross 02:14  |  Great White North 13/07/08   7.   Olmert : the last joke of Arik Sharon 16:50  |  My finger in your 16/07/08

Read & React PRISONER SWAP: Israel receives coffins said to hold Regev and Goldwasser Responses: 183 'We want to remember our son as he was, not as a body' Responses: 58 Bradley Burston: The pleasure Hezbollah takes in torture Responses: 138 The new 'Obama advisor' problem: Senator Chuck Hagel Responses: 34 Rosner's Domain Why does Israel keep agreeing to prisoner swaps? Talansky threatened to use a bomb - a long time ago (WTR) The new 'Obama advisor' problem: Senator Chuck Hagel Attacking Iran to get the world's attention? More Headlines 16:52 Israel identifies bodies of Goldwasser and Regev, funerals set for Thursday 16:07 'We want to remember our son as he was, not as a body' 16:44 In Lebanon, red carpet laid out for convicted terrorist Samir Kuntar 16:50 IN PICTURES / How the abduction was carried out 14:57 ANALYSIS / In Lebanon, prisoner swap is Hezbollah victory 15:14 Turkish FM: Israel, Syria show will for peace, to hold 4th round of indirect talks 12:27 Another Olmert probe, another American businessman, another unpaid loan 14:54 Gerhard Conrad - the 'fair' middleman overseeing the swap 15:37 Woman, 51, gives birth to 'miracle' child 2 years after son killed in Lebanon 12:37 Saudi-sponsored interfaith meet kicks off in Spain 13:24 The new 'Obama advisor' problem: Senator Chuck Hagel 09:10 Report: Iran to hold large air force exercise to strengthen deterrence Previous Editions Select Day 15 jul 14 jul 13 jul 11 jul 10 jul 09 jul 08 jul 07 jul 06 jul 04 jul 03 jul 02 jul

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