Copyright 1996 The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post
July 22, 1996
HEADLINE: ILAN SA'ADON'S FAMILY: WE HAVE BEEN FORGOTTEN
BYLINE: Itim
BODY:
The sister of missing IDF soldier Ilan Sa'adon yesterday charged that the government is not doing enough to find her brother's body.
"My brother was kidnapped inside Israel and murdered. He is buried in Israel, but the government is not doing enough. Now that they have brought the bodies of [Rahamim] Alsheikh and [Yosef] Fink, they don't even bother to mention my brother. They spoke about all the missing soldiers except Ilan," Sa'adon's sister, Mazal Huta, said yesterday.
Sa'adon was kidnapped by Hamas in May 1989 while hitchhiking home from his base.
"We were in touch with the Alsheikh and Fink families," Huta said yesterday at her Ashkelon home. "Together we had hoped to see the boys come back. Now we are happy for them, but sad. My brother, Ilan, is not mentioned at all, as if he is not a missing soldier. Even though Hamas is even crueler than Hizbullah and couldn't care about the bodies of its soldiers buried in Israel, I would have expected that they would find my brother's body first if he is dead, that is. And if he is alive, that they would find where he is... There is peace with the Palestinians and it is easier."
Huta added: "What is worse is that all the government leaders and army officers mentioned the missing soldiers, but no one spoke about Ilan... My mother can't say a word. It is a terrible day [for us]."
Sa'adon's sister said the family had met with the ministers of justice and science and had been promised that they would make efforts, but nothing was being done. "I would have expected the prime minister to show a little more involvement and at least meet with us," she added.