Tens of thousands are expected to attend rallies for Israel's captives Monday.
By HAVIV RETTIG GURjp.services1(photo credit: )
Tens of thousands are expected to attend rallies throughout the world on Monday calling for the release of kidnapped IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev and Gilad Schalit.
Organized by Jewish and Zionist organizations, including the Jewish Agency, the World Zionist Organization, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and many others, the rallies will seek to focus world attention on the plight of the kidnapped soldiers, who are being held in contravention of international law in secret locations and in unknown conditions.
"We have a bad feeling that this issue is dropping from the international agenda," said Amos Hermon, head of the Jewish Agency's Special Task Force for Hasbara and Fighting Anti-Semitism. "It's just another three kidnapped Israeli soldiers, and no one knows what their condition is - the point is to put this on the international community's agenda."
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Rallies will be held in front of the United Nations building in New York, the Syrian embassies in Washington, London and Ottawa, and the Israeli Consulate in Toronto.
Goldwasser's wife, Karnit, and mother, Miki, will attend the New York rally, alongside thousands of students and summer camp children who will arrive in dozens of buses from upstate New York. At least four senators are also expected to attend.
In London, there will be an attempt to meet with the Syrian ambassador to pass on a letter from the families.
On Tuesday, a rally in Buenos Aires is expected to draw several thousand. There will also be demonstrations in Manchester and Montevideo, Uruguay.
Two days ago, there was a mass prayer gathering at Paris's Great Synagogue with the families of the soldiers. South Africa will have large prayer gatherings in Johannesburg and Capetown.
A rally will be held in front of the UN office in Caracas, Venezuela, whose Jewish community has recently been keeping a low profile out of fears over growing anti-Israel and anti-American rhetoric coming from President Hugo Chavez, who has close ties with Iran.
A rally will be held in Geneva next week.
