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Analysis

BICOM Briefing: Israeli teenagers murdered in the West Bank

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Last update: 1/7/2014, 13:15 BST. Go to bicom.org.uk/news for more on the latest developments.

Key Points

  • On the afternoon of Monday 1 July the bodies of the three Israeli youngsters who were kidnapped on 12 June were discovered. Their funerals are being held on Tuesday afternoon at around 5.30pm local time.
  • Israeli ministers are considering a range of responses, with Prime Minister Netanyahu having declared that “Hamas is responsible and Hamas will pay.”
  • This serious incident has shone a spotlight on the viability of the PA President Mahmoud Abbas partaking in a unity government with Hamas.

What has happened?

  • On the afternoon of Monday 1 July the bodies of the three Israeli youngsters who were kidnapped on 12 June were discovered by a team of the Kfir Infantry Brigade, the elite Maglan unit, and civilian volunteers.
  • Eyal Yifrah, 19, Gilad Shaer, 16, and Naftali Frenkel, 16, were abducted while hitchhiking in the West Bank. During the past two weeks, Israel has conducted a large-scale military operation to locate the youngsters and last week Israel named two Hamas members from the Hebron area as the prime suspects.
  • The three Israeli teens were found buried in a field near Halhul, north of Hebron, just several miles from where the kidnapping took place. The Shin Bet security agency assessed that the teenagers had most likely been shot soon after they were abducted.

What has been the Israeli reaction?

  • Israel’s President Shimon Peres said “The entire nation is bowing its head with unbearable sorrow this evening,” but pledged “Our war on terrorism will only intensify.” Special television broadcasts carried the news throughout the evening and Israelis gathered in public spaces to light candles in memory of the three teenagers.
  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement saying “our hearts are bleeding, the whole nation is crying.” He added that the three youngsters had been “murdered in cold blood by animals” and that “Hamas is responsible, and Hamas will pay.”
  • Netanyahu subsequently convened the Security Cabinet, but no decision was reached on how Israel will respond to the murders. The forum will reportedly reconvene later on Tuesday after the funerals of Yifrah, Shaer and Frenkel have taken place. According to reports, some ministers are pressing for a broad response including new settlement construction, as well expanded measures against Hamas, whilst others are pressing for a more focused response which would maintain international legitimacy for measures against Hamas.

What has been the UK and international reaction?

  • Prime Minister David Cameron released a statement saying “I am deeply saddened by the news that the bodies of the three Israeli boys… have been found this evening.” He continued, “This was an appalling and inexcusable act of terror perpetrated against young teenagers. Britain will stand with Israel as it seeks to bring to justice those responsible.” Cameron added, “Tonight my thoughts and prayers are with the families of Gilad, Naftali and Eyal. No parent should have ever have to suffer such heartache or grief.”
  • Other world leaders also expressed outrage and denounced the killings. US President Barack Obama said he “condemns in the strongest possible terms this senseless act of terror against innocent youth,” pledging “the full support and friendship of the United States” towards the Israeli people. Obama also called on Israel and the Palestinians “to refrain from steps that could further destabilize the situation.”
  • The Vatican also released a statement condemning the killings as a “hideous and unacceptable crime” and an obstacle to peace. Similarly, the United Nations’ Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon called the murders a “heinous act by enemies of peace.”
  • Though Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has convened Palestinian leaders he has made no official response. He previously condemned the kidnapping and Palestinian Security Forces in the West Bank were cooperating with the IDF in the search operation. Abbas is under scrutiny since he recently entered into an agreement with Hamas and formed a unity government with their backing. Israel is fervently opposed to a unity government involving Hamas – which remains committed to Israel’s destruction – and has demanded Abbas renounce it. According to media reports Abbas spoke with several world leaders overnight and sought assistance in urging Israel to show restraint in its response.

Who are the perpetrators?

  • On 27 June Israel named two key suspects in the case, Marwan Kawasma and Amer Abu Aysha, both operatives in the Islamist militant group Hamas in the Hebron area. Both have been missing since the evening of the abduction with their families claiming no knowledge of their whereabouts.
  • Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip rejected the accusation of responsibility, but Qatar based political chief Khaled Meshaal nonetheless praised the kidnapping. It remains unclear at this point to what extent the Hamas operatives involved were acting under direct orders from the military or political leadership of Hamas, but Hamas leaders in recent months have called openly for the kidnapping of Israelis.

What is the background to the incident?

  • The three were taken on the evening of 12 June, whilst travelling home from the area of the Gush Etzion settlement block in the West Bank. The three were Naftali Frenkel, 16, from Nof Ayalon in central Israel, Gilad Shaer, 16, from Talmon, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, and Eyal Yifrah, 19, from Elad in central Israel.
  • Frenkel and Shaar were students at the modern Orthodox Makor Haim yeshiva (religious seminary) in Kvar Etzion, a religious kibbutz in the Gush Etzion area.
  • Though one of the teenagers managed to call the police in the process of the abduction there was a delay of several hours before the incident was reported to the IDF and Shin Bet (Israeli internal intelligence).
  • The IDF launched an extensive search operation, dubbed ‘Operation Brother’s Keeper’, focused on Hamas operatives and infrastructure in the West Bank. The operation included the arrest and detention of several hundred Palestinians – mainly Hamas operatives including its most senior West Bank-based officials – and raids on Hamas affiliated institutions. The main focus has been the Hebron area but there has also been activity in Nablus, where hundreds of weapons have been seized, and Jenin. According to reports, there have been up to six Palestinian fatalities in clashes triggered by Israel’s military operation.
  • Meanwhile there has been a steady escalation in rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israel  which has prompted targeted Israeli airstrikes against terrorist infrastructure and weapons stores. Whilst in most cases the firing is perpetrated by armed groups other than Hamas, it is Hamas which has overall control of the Strip.

What is the security context and implications?

  • The last year has seen an increase in violence from Palestinian groups and individuals in the West Bank, and credible reports of increased attempts by Hamas to operate armed cells there. The Hebron area has seen a number of incidents, with an IDF soldier killed by a sniper in the city in October 2013, and an off duty police officer killed by gunmen whilst driving with his family close to Hebron in April. Through its widespread arrest of Hamas activists, Israeli forces will be hoping to get a grip on this increasing threat from Hamas in the West Bank.
  • The current incident comes at a moment of increased tension since the suspension of recent peace talks and the establishment of a Palestinian unity government backed by Hamas.
  • Since the release of over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in return for Gilad Shalit in October 2011 there have been consistent warnings from Israeli security services about plots by Palestinian armed groups to kidnap Israeli soldiers or civilians. According to the IDF, since 2013, the Israeli forces have foiled numerous kidnapping attempts, with Hamas prisoners held in Israeli jails planning the majority of these efforts.
  • In September 2013, a Palestinian terrorist kidnapped and murdered IDF Sergeant Tomer Hazan, planning to use the soldier’s body to bargain for the release of his brother, imprisoned for involvement in terror attacks.

What is the political context and implications?

  • The kidnapping follows the recent establishment of a unity government to reunite the Gaza Strip and West Bank under a single authority backed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction in the West Bank and the Hamas authority in the Gaza Strip.
  • Until the Fatah-Hamas agreement, the Fatah dominated PA Forces in the West Bank cooperated closely with the IDF to prevent terror attacks and contain armed groups, including Hamas. Though Abbas had claimed such cooperation would continue, the reconciliation process with Hamas clearly threw this into question. This serious incident has shone a spotlight on the viability of the PA to continue its security coordination with Israel, whilst at the same time partaking in a unity government with Hamas.
  • This incident also comes amidst an ongoing debate in Israel over the practice of releasing large numbers of prisoners to secure the release of captives. Some Israeli politicians opposed to this practice have been attempting to pass legislation that will prevent such exchanges.