'Removal of Schalit negotiator part of politicians' ego games'

By JPOST.COM STAFF
The Movement for the Return of Gilad Schalit responded harshly to Monday's termination of Amos Gilad's position in negotiating with the Egyptians over the captured IDF soldier. Gilad, the Defense Ministry's diplomatic-military bureau chief, was effectively suspended from his role after the Prime Minister's Office filed a disciplinary complaint with the Civil Services Commission against him for blasting Olmert in a Ma'ariv interview last week. The movement, active in rounding up international awareness for Schalit since his kidnapping in June 2006, dismissed the move as part of ego games. "It is both distressing and worrisome that [while] an Israeli soldier is in captivity, ego games are the issue occupying the attention of our leaders," the group wrote in a statement. "If they would invest half of the effort that they invest in internal politics to advance the release of Gilad, he would have been home a long time ago."