'Hamas kidnapped teens'
June 15, 2014
Speaking at his weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Palestinian Islamist group, Hamas, of abducting three Israeli teens. The comments coincided with a massive sweep of the southern West Bank, where the individuals were last seen on Thursday.
"The ones that conducted the kidnapping of our teenagers are Hamas members," Netanyahu said. The incident would have "serious implications" for Hamas, he added.
Both Israel and the US classify Hamas as a terrorist organization. The party calls for the dissolution of Israel in favor of the return of an Islamic Palestinian state. In 2007, it ousted ruling party Fatah from the Gaza Strip, driving its leaders to rule solely over the West Bank.
However, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced in April the formation of a unity government, consolidating Fatah and Hamas' power and closing the political gap. The news put an ever greater strain on Palestinian-Israeli relations, with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu condemning the political maneuver.
At least 80 arrested
Israeli authorities detained at least 80 individuals with alleged links to the abduction. The raids were carried out overnight into the early hours of Sunday morning, according to the Israeli military.
"Palestinian terrorists will not feel safe, will not be able to hide and will feel the heavy arm of the Israeli military capabilities," Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said.
According to Israeli media, many of those arrested were members of Hamas, including several Palestinian members of parliament.
The sweep - which has included door-to-door searches and a lockdown of the West Bank town of Hebron – began on Friday after Israeli police were alerted to the disappearance of three teenagers attending a West Bank yeshiva, a religious school.
The missing persons have since been identified as Naftali Frenkel, 16, Gilad Shaar,16, and Eyal Yifrach, 19. Frenkel reportedly also holds US citizenship. The circumstances surrounding their kidnapping remain unclear.
kms/slk (AP, AFP, Reuters)