Kidnapped youth

The intersection in front of the Gush Etzion settlement block on the West Bank is as busy as ever - only the large numbers of Israeli military vehicles indicate that a tense situation. Last week, three young Israelis were kidnapped only a few kilometers away.

They were hitchhiking - which is common in Israel - to return home from the religious school Kfar Etzion, which is located south of Jerusalem. Recently, it become known that one of the teenagers had made an emergency call to the police. "We're being kidnapped," he whispered.

Because the police first assumed it was a prank call, some time passed until the army was informed - this eventually happened on Thursday around 10:45 p.m. local time. That was the last trace of the teenagers.

Since then, Israelis have been anxious and puzzled over the whereabouts of Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach, who are 16, 17 and 19 years old, respectively. The country has rarely been as shaken as over the past few days. The media is continually reporting on the potential fate of the teenagers.

Hitchhiking continues

The kidnappings don't seem to be deterring young Israelis waiting for a lift at the Gush Etzion bus station, which is only 30 minutes from Jerusalem. Although an Israeli public bus also travels this stretch, it is faster and cheaper to catch a ride with someone.

"I’m hitchhiking every day, [some danger] is a part of it," said young settler Itzhak confidently. The problem is not the hitchhiking, but the "Arabs and the terrorists" that are on the road, he thinks.

Chaim is also waiting for a lift. He finds it reassuring that there are always Israeli soldiers at the intersection. "Obviously there are some concerns - but this won't happen again soon," he said. A few minutes later, he climbed into a car.

Quick accusations

At the political level, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to insure that the three teenagers get home unharmed. He has quickly pointed fingers: "The ones that conducted the kidnapping of our teenagers are Hamas members," said Netanyahu.

Then he implied that recognition of the new Palestine interim government was a mistake. "Those who perpetrated the abduction of our youths were members of Hamas, the same Hamas that Abu Mazen [the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas] made a unity government with. This has severe repercussions."

Netanyahu has not let up in blaming the Palestinian President Abbas for the situation. He put in a call to the president in Ramallah on Monday (16.06.2014) - for the first time in more than a year, local media reported. The Palestinian leadership responded that the incident took place in Area C of the West Bank, which is entirely controlled by the Israeli military. The area has many settlements, and Palestinian security personnel are not allowed to enter.

The Israeli army is now searching every corner in the southern West Bank between Bethlehem and Hebron. Israel has deployed additional troops there, and the Palestinian city of Hebron has been sealed off. Over the weekend, 150 Palestinians were arrested, among them several high-ranking Hamas politicians.

One young Palestinian was killed during clashes near Ramallah. According to medics, others have been injured. The many arrests are supposed to build pressure, security forces said. "We have intensified the presence of troops in the last two, three days. We have called in other units, which are conducting searches day and night," said army spokesperson Arye Shalikar.

"We are try to get as much information as possible to find the three youths alive." For this, the Israeli army is also counting on close cooperation with Palestinian security forces. "The coordination is working well until now, we hope it stays that way," said Shalikar.

Palestinian forces support search

Israeli soldiers are stationed at the access road to Hebron a few kilometers south. At the entrance to the city, it is quieter than usual, and also tense. "People are afraid to leave their houses," said Mohammed, a Palestinian taxi driver who usually transports people to the surrounding villages. "Today, it took me one-and-a-half hours to drive on a side road because of the checkpoints. Usually I'm here in 10 minutes," he added.

There is considerable fear over what happens next "The situation is already difficult enough," said a young man who traveled from Ramallah to Hebron. He hopes the situation does not escalate further. "We are against violence. But we are also against collective punishment."

The situation is not easy for Palestinian President Abbas. He heavily condemned the kidnapping of the three teenagers - but he also criticized the heavy hand of the Israeli army. Abbas ordered his security forces to support the search for the missing teens. "The Palestinian security forces are trying to maintain calm and order," the office of the president said on Monday.

For Abbas, there is much at stake. He just received support for his interim government from Europe and the US. After seven years, Hamas and Fatah have started reconciliation. If Hamas is involved in the kidnapping - which until now it has taken no responsibility for - that would mean the end of this reconciliation effort. The Hamas leadership in Gaza dismissed the Israeli prime minister's accusations as "stupid."

Israelis have been asking how this could happen and what the consequences might be. Many Israelis remember the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by the Hezbollah in 2006, which let to the Lebanon War - or the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was released in 2011 after five years of captivity on the Gaza Strip. He was released in exchange for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

But for the moment, Israelis are mostly hoping that the three teenagers will return home unharmed.