Ehud Goldwasser's wife and father appeal to international community for help.
By JONNY PAULehud goldwasser (photo credit: Channel 10)
Karnit Goldwasser, wife of kidnapped soldier Ehud Goldwasser, appealed to British Prime Minister Tony Blair to help get information on her husband's condition.
Speaking at a press conference in central London on Tuesday, Karnit said: "I ask him [Tony Blair] to bring a sign that he is still alive, because until now we don't have any sign or any proof he's alive."
Karnit travelled to London with her parents and father-in-law, Shlomo, to highlight the plight of Ehud and appeal for his return.
"We came here to appeal for Ehud's and his colleague's release, and we came to bring their story to the whole world."
While she also asked for help to end the hostilities between Israel and Hizbullah, she defended Israel's attack on Lebanon.
"No one wants this situation," she said. "I really, really want the killing to be stopped. We as a family want the killing to stop. No one in the whole world wants their neighbour or son or husband to be killed. No one wants a war, but Hizbullah cut the fence and kidnapped the two soldiers by force. This and the rocket attacks on civilians in northern Israel are the what started this."
Karnit and Ehud have been together for nearly 10 years. They are both Masters students at the Technion Institute of Technology in Haifa, which just reopened after closing for a week following the rocket attacks on Haifa.
Karnit talked about her husband's character and what he would be thinking.
"Ehud is my soul mate. He is not a man of war; he loves music, he's a student of environmental engineering, he's very intelligent and loves reading books," she said. "Right now he would be figuring what is the best way to stay alive and thinking about positive things that will happen. Ehud is strong, he thinks before he does things."
She said that she writes him a letter every night before she goes to bed, and although they await proof he is still alive, she has a feeling he is alive.
"The day he was taken, it was his last day [of reserve duty]," said Karnit. "July 12 was the day my life changed."
Karnit had been at home cooking in anticipation of her husband's return when she heard on the news about an incident at Zarit on the northern border. Thinking Ehud was busy, she sent him a text message. She said he always responded, so when he didn't reply, she knew there was a problem. She then called him but got no answer.
At around 3:30 p.m., army officers came to her house and broke the news that Ehud was either dead or had been kidnapped. At 11 p.m. that night, Karnit learnt that he was not dead.
"If he was dead, there was nothing for me to do. When I learnt he was alive, I decided I have the ability to change it, to bring him back home," she said.
Asked if Ehud would be shocked by the violence of the crisis, Karnit said that Ehud was not a man of war, that he wanted peace and an end to hostilities.
Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, Ehud's father, Shlomo, said that Hizbullah had been planning the attack for years.
"Instead of investing money in education, children, and improving life, Hizbullah invested in missiles, training, and planning for war," he said. "To do what they did to my son, on the Israeli side of the border, it takes years to plan, and under the umbrella of shelling Israel."
He added, "We are not happy about all the deaths. We are not happy when we hear about casualties, about children, women, and civilians dying. It touches our hearts - both for Israeli and Lebanese deaths."
Shlomo and Karnit's farther, Omri Avni, spoke at an Israel solidarity rally held in Manchester on Sunday that was attended by over 3,000 people.
if(catID != 151){
var cont = `Take Israel home with the new Jerusalem Post Store
