Funeral begins for returned Israeli soldier

[July 17, 2008]  NAHARIYA, Israel (AP) -- Thousands of mourners gathered Thursday in a northern Israeli town to bury the first of two soldiers returned in a prisoner exchange with Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas.

Ehud Goldwasser was one of the soldiers whose remains were returned by Hezbollah in exchange for five Lebanese prisoners and the remains of some 200 Arab fighters.

His wooden coffin was lowered into the ground in Nahariya by soldiers wearing the purple caps of an elite brigade. His widow, Karnit Goldwasser, held on to her late husband's father as each wiped away tears.

In keeping with Jewish tradition, Goldwasser's father Shlomo wore a shirt ripped at the front, to signify mourning. Later, an Israeli military rabbi recited the Kaddish, the Jewish prayer of mourning.

Another funeral is expected later on Thursday for Eldad Regev, the other soldier returned on Wednesday.

Karnit Goldwasser told mourners that the funeral took place a day before Goldwasser's birthday.

"One day before your birthday I ask, Toush, maybe time will allow the bleeding wounds to heal?" she said, referring to her late husband by his nickname. "Although I am without you, I will always be with you."

During the past two years, she led a campaign to secure the release of the her husband and Regev, frequently traveling abroad and meeting with world leaders.

The campaign made the photogenic young woman one of Israel's most recognized faces. It also helped strengthen calls in Israel to conduct an exchange for the men's release.

Freeing Goldwasser and Regev became a national crusade in Israel, replete with bumper stickers, billboards and frequent radio and TV spots.

Though officials had recently said the two men were believed dead, there was no proof of their fate until their bodies were returned by Hezbollah Wednesday in black coffins.

The prisoner exchange with Hezbollah closed a painful chapter from Israel's 2006 war against the militant group, which began after Lebanese guerrillas kidnapped the two soldiers in a cross-border raid.

A somber air hung over Israel Thursday. Radios played soft, subdued music and newspapers published a picture of Karnit Goldwasser hugging Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, as they touched the coffin.

Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak, his voice breaking, told soldiers at the funeral that if "the worst will happen to any of you," Israel will "will make every possible and legitimate effort" to bring them home.

In Lebanon, four tractor-trailers carrying the remains of nearly 200 Lebanese and Palestinian fighters were headed to Beirut on Thursday. Villagers showered the coffins with rice and rose petals.

In its exchange with Hezbollah, Israel freed Samir Kantar, a Lebanese militant convicted of killing a father in front of his 4-year-old daughter, and then killing her by crushing her skull with a rifle butt.

The girl's 2-year-old sister was accidentally smothered by her mother, who held her hand over the toddler's mouth to stifle her cries while the two hid in a crawl space.

The lopsided prisoner swap -- trading Kantar and the others for bodies -- raised questions in Israel about its policy of bringing back its soldiers, dead or alive, at any price.

Critics argued that Israel's uneven exchanges with militant groups only encourage more kidnappings.

The issue is particularly relevant because militants from the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, has held an Israeli soldier Sgt. Gilad Schalit for the past two years.

Schalit is believed to be alive. Hamas is demanding the release of Palestinians in Israeli jails.

Hamas officials said the swap with Hezbollah proved that Israel only understands the language of kidnapping and violence.

Israel has only released a few dozen Palestinians in a goodwill gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, many with only months left to serve on their sentences.

There are some 10,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, and their release is one of the most emotionally charged issues for Palestinians.

[Associated Press; By TARA TODRAS-WHITEHILL]

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