Family of Israeli soldier captured by Palestinian resistance angry with politicians

Leah Goldin, mother of Hadar Goldin, the Israeli soldier captured by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, expressed her anger with the Israeli political leadership over ignoring him for seven years, Safa news agency reported on Sunday.

According to Safa, Goldin told the Israeli General Radio: “Our real problem has been caused by the Shalit [prisoner swap]deal.  We are its product. The total paralysis among the public has been caused by it. Our sons have paid the price and I am paying price.”

In 2011, Israel agreed to release more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including women, children, and veteran prisoners in return for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was captured by the Palestinians from an Israeli tank on the eastern border of Gaza.

Golden also said: “We learnt not to leave our soldiers behind on the battlefield, but today, no one is exerting pressure to return the soldiers from the battlefield. They betrayed us. They betrayed the soldiers and their values.”

READ: Palestinian hopes for freedom still alive 10 years after Shalit deal

She added: “The most bitter thing is the bargain they are doing with the enemy.”

During the 51-day Israeli offensive on Gaza in 2014, when Israel killed more than 2,260 Palestinians and wounded more than 11,000 others, the Palestinian resistance captured two Israeli soldiers from the battlefield –Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul.

Later on, the Palestinian resistance captured two other Israelis in ambiguous circumstances and announced that it would swap the four Israelis for the Palestinian prisoners languishing in harsh conditions inside Israeli jails.