Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's wife Aliza this afternoon met with Aviva and Noam Shalit, the parents of abducted soldier Gilad Shalit, and with Tzvi Shalit, Gilad's grandfather, with whom she has been in continuous contact for some time.

Mrs. Olmert told the Shalit family: "There is no wall of alienation between the Prime Minister's Residence and the protest tent by its entrance.  I identify completely with the struggle to release Gilad and were I not a witness to the intensive efforts being invested on behalf of his return, I would certainly go to the protest tent myself.  I see the widespread public support for Gilad's return and the exceptional solidarity that this struggle has caused.  I am a silent witness to the intensive daily efforts to bring Gilad back home.  The fact that Gilad is still not with us and that moves to bring him back home have yet to be completed, do not reflect a paralysis in the system; what has been permitted to be published in the media on this issue is only the tip of the iceberg.  Most of the measures are being carried out discretely and this is in order to achieve the goal.  I hope that it will be possible for the Prime Minister to complete this step in his remaining time in office."