Schalit's brother storms Independence Day ceremony

Yoel Schalit and several other activists interrupt Jerusalem torch lighting ceremony, waving signs reading, "Gilad is still alive."

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Yoel Schalit Protest 311 (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Yoel Schalit Protest 311
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit's brother, Yoel Schalit, interrupted the torch lighting ceremony on Jerusalem's Mount Herzl on Monday calling for the release of his brother.
Schalit and several other activists waved signs reading "Gilad is still alive," at the ceremony marking the transition from Remembrance Day to Independence Day.
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Schalit and his fellow protesters were escorted out of the ceremony grounds by military police who were on the scene. No arrests were made in the incident.
Gilad Schalit's parent's Noam and Aviva spent Independence Day in their protest tent across from the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem where they have been for the last ten months.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said during a Remembrance Day speech at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem that Israel is working behind the scenes for the return of Schalit.
“Not a day goes by without our acting on behalf of our captives, our kidnapped, our prisoners and those missing, acting for their return home,” Netanyahu said.
“This includes Gilad Schalit, who is being held by a cruel enemy. We work every day for their return in ways that are not necessarily publicly known. We will not stop until they are at home,” he said.