Gilead Shalit; “When the Shark and the Fish first met.”

Today it is exactly 1000 days since Israeli soldier Gilead Shalit was on army duty together with two other soldiers in their tank on the Israeli side of the border to Gaza. Their tank was attacked by Arabs who managed to open the door of the tank and to put it on fire. Two soldiers were shot on the spot while Gilead was taken captive and brought to Gaza. This happened on June 25’th 2006.

A few day later, on Juli 12’th, Hizbollah terrorists crossed the border over to Israel in the north. They killed eight soldiers and kidnapped two others while the Hizbullah fired rockets from Lebanon at Israeli border town to cover the attack. This was the beginning of the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006.
The two soldiers captured were Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser.
On July 15’th 2008, coffins containing the remains of Eldad and Goldwasser were returned to Israel as part of a prisoner exchange.

The dead have all been buried but Gilead Shalit is still alive.

When Gilead was 11 years old he wrote the following story:
"When the Shark and the Fish First Met"

A small and gentle fish was swimming in the middle of a peaceful ocean. All of a sudden, the fish saw a shark that wanted to devour him. He then began to swim very quickly, but so did the shark.
Suddenly the fish stopped and called to the shark: "Why do you want to devour me? We can play together!"
The shark thought and thought and said: "Okay- fine: Let’s play hide and seek."
The shark and fish played all day long, until the sun went down. In the evening, the shark returned to his home.

His mother asked: “How was your day, my dear shark? How many animals did you devour today?”
The shark answered: “Today I didn’t devour any animals, but I played with an animal called FISH”.
“That fish is an animal we eat. Don’t play with it!” said the shark’s mother.

At the home of the fish, the same thing happened. “How are you, little fish? How was it today in the sea?” asked the fish’s mother.
The fish answered: "Today I played with an animal called SHARK."
"That shark is the animal that devoured your father and your brother. Don’t play with that animal," answered the mother.

The next day in the middle of the ocean, neither the shark nor the fish were there.
They didn’t meet for many days, weeks and even months.
Then, one day they met. Each one immediately ran back to his mother and once again they didn’t meet for days, weeks and months.

After a whole year passed, the shark went out for a nice swim and so did the fish. For a third time, they met and then the shark said: "You are my enemy, but maybe we can make peace?"The little fish said: "Okay."

They played secretly for days, weeks and months, until one day the shark and fish went to the fish’s mother and spoke together with her. Then they did the same thing with the shark’s mother; and from that same day the sharks and the fish live in peace.
THE END

Numerous attempts have been made to cause the release of Shalit. It is clear to everyone that the price will be heavy as an agreement will only be reached which has the exchange of prisoners as part of the deal. So far Hamas has presented a list of 450 Arab terrorists to be released from Israeli prisons. These are all men with “a lot of blood” on their hands and who are aimed at continuing their “contributions to Holy war on Israel”.

Gilead Shalit has become part of every family in Israel. To wake up to a new day knowing that he is in the hands of Hamas is tormenting. To see the light of hope being lit and later put out, in the eyes of his closest family is heart breaking. There is no way to describe it…….

On the other side of the border to Gaza there are mothers, wives and children who are longing for their dear ones to return home. The same people that we know only as cold blooded murderers and terrorists have family who’s hearts are crying out to be united with them.

We are just like Fish and Sharks in the sea. Our problem is that both sides see themselves as being the Fish ……..

Elin Elkouby