Last update - 22:09 13/08/2006
Abductees' families 'gravely disappointed' by UN resolution
By Aluf Benn and Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondents

The families of two soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah guerillas met with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday and expressed their "grave disappointment" over a new UN resolution regarding a cease-fire with Lebanon.

Olmert gave the parents an update on the UN resolution and on the steps Israel is taking in order to release the three abducted soldiers (including IDF soldier Gilad Shalit abducted on the Gaza-Israel border). The prime minister said that Israel is doing its utmost to bring about the release of Udi Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who were kidnapped by Hezbollah on July 12 on Israel's northern border.

According to Benny Regev, Eldad Regev's brother, the meeting with the prime minister did not help to set his mind at ease. "Tomorrow morning, or a few days from now, all of the IDF troops will leave Lebanon. The only ones who will be left alone, unarmed, with no helmet, are my brother and Udi," Regev said.

Regev says that the resolution essentially leaves the decision on whether to release the soldiers up to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. "We are now dependant on the goodwill of Nasrallah, and that is a terrible situation to be in."

The Goldwassers were equally dissatisfied with the meeting. Shlomo Goldwasser, Udi's father, said they felt no better for having gone to the meeting, nor had they received any new information. He said the family will have to wait and see whether the resolution is actually beneficial.

But both families said they got the impression that the prime minister was willing to negotiate for the soldiers' release. "We are still optimistic and as families, we will continue our public struggle to bring back Udi and Eldad, as well as Gilad Shalit who is currently being held by the Hamas in Gaza." Goldwasser said. The father reiterated his stance that as long as the fighting in Lebanon continues, the chances of the soldiers' safe return grow slim.

Goldwasser believes that negotiation is the only way to bring the soldiers back. But he said that the family recognizes that Israel is at war and as a result has been trying to limit its criticism. The Shalit, Regev and Goldwasser families launched a new website on Sunday to support the kidnapped soldiers.

The UN resolution on cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon calls for the unconditional release of the abducted Israeli soldiers, but is not included as a binding section in the resolution.

A senior diplomatic source said Israel has no information on the fate of Regev and Goldwasser, but it is assumed they are still alive. The source said the IDF has launched high-risk operations to obtain information on the abductees, but they were all unsuccessful.

The source said also that Israel did not condition the cease-fire on the release of the soldiers because it would have led to the continuation of the fighting and the loss of more life.

The major obstacle for the release of the soldiers is Hezbollah's demand for the release of Samir Kuntar who murdered the Haran family and a policeman in Nahariya in 1979. In the last prisoners exchange between Israel and Hezbollah in 2004 it was agreed Kuntar would only be released in return for concrete and full information on the disappearance of Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad. Hezbollah, however, did not provide any details on his fate.

The senior diplomatic source said the issue of Kuntar's release "has not yet been raised" in the current prisoner release talks.

The fact that Israel is not receiving it's kidnapped soldiers back as part of the cease fire is just one more sign of the failure of Olmert. Please feel free to email with any positive things that have come out the last months fighting. I fail to see any thing positive