Salim el-Huzeil, a resident of the Bedouin community of Rahat in the Negev, appears undeterred by peer pressure and has dedicated the last months towards enlisting members of the Bedouin community to support grassroots efforts to obtain the release of Gilad Shalit. “It does not matter that I am a Bedouin” he explains, “I am a human being”.

El-Huzeil tells the media he has been undeterred by numerous threats against him, but on Sunday, after a relative threatened his life, he filed an official complaint with police. He explained that he was told his photo was aired on Hamas TV, labeled a collaborator, realizing it was time to seek police assistance, aware of the severity of the threat. He added that despite his concerns, he plans to continue working on Shalit’s behalf.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)