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|  | Miki Goldwasser grateful for 'heart-warming support' Photo: Vadim Daniel
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MKs ignore seder for captives
None of 120 Knesset members to attend Pesach meal organized by captives' friends
Ahiya Raved
Does anybody care? None of Israel's 120 Knesset members will be attending a Passover meal outside Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's house, organized by the friends of IDF captives Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev, and Gilad Shalit.
The abductees' friends decided to hold the special seder in order to protest the ongoing failure to secure the release of the three IDF soldiers. Organizers invited all parliamentarians to attend the event, yet today they discovered that not even one MK will be joining them.
Not forgetting the captives (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
"There were some who confirmed receiving the invitation, while others informed us that they intend to mention the abductees at the seder table at their home," said Mickey Leibowitz, one of the protest organizers. "However, none of them informed us that they plan to join us."
"I assume that it reflects the level of importance they attach to the matter," he said.
Tomer Weinberg, one of Goldwasser's and Regev's IDF comrades, said that MKs have again demonstrated their blatant disregard for the captives.
"All we can do is ask our abducted friends, who are rotting away at the dark cellars of terror groups, to forgive us for having such elected officials," he said.
However, it appears that in the face of the parliamentary indifference, many Israelis have been greatly touched by the abductees' ordeal. Goldwasser's mother, Miki, says that in recent days she received numerous encouraging phone calls from strangers.
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"I wouldn't have believed that another Passover will pass and Udi would still not be there," Goldwasser added, speaking about her son's lengthy captivity. "Everything has been said lately, what we think about the negotiations that are not taking place and about the prime minister. I don't want to repeat it, but I find it hard to believe that we are talking about such a lengthy period."
Meanwhile, Eldad Regev's father, Zvi, will be celebrating Passover at the home of another son, Ofer.
"This is the second Passover where (Eldad) is in captivity and I'm greatly saddened by it," Regev told Ynet. "The feeling is that nothing is advancing towards their release. I expect the prime minister to start doing, too much time has passed. I hope to celebrate the next holidays with Eldad and his comrades."
Yet despite the sadness, Miki Goldwasser says that she draws great strength from the hundreds of support letters she's been receiving from Israel and abroad. She has been replying to every single letter she has received.
"There is no doubt that this support, both orally and in writing, is heart-warming," she said. "If I didn't receive all this love and support, I don't know if I would have the strength to function the way I do in light of the circumstances."
"When I see the immense number of people who are standing behind me and truly support me, with love, it gives me great strength," she says.
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