Amid a new flurry of stories suggesting that a deal to release captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit would be finalized in days Shalit's father, Noam, said it best during a visit to the Western Wall for a special prayer service for his son:

"Had we been optimistic we wouldn't have come here to pray."

Shalit's comment also brings to mind the classic Western Wall joke:

In Jerusalem, an American female journalist heard about an old Rabbi who visited the Kotel, the Western Wall to pray twice a day every day for over five decades.

In an effort to check out the story, she goes to the holy site and there he is. She watches the old man at prayer and after about 45 minutes, when he turns to leave, she approaches him for an interview.

“I’m Rebecca Smith from CNN, sir, how long have you been coming to the Wailing Wall and praying?”

“For about 50 years,” he informs her.

“That’s amazing! What do you pray for?”

“I pray for peace between the Jews and Arabs. I pray for all the hatred to stop and I pray for all of our children to grow up in safety and friendship.”

“And how do you feel, sir, after doing this for 50 years?”

“Like I’m talking to a brick wall!"
 
 (Noam Shalit, center, stands next to the Western Wall during a special prayer for the release of his son that was captured by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip in 2006. AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)