WANTED – for the abduction of three young Israelis
Less than a day after the abduction of Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frankel and Eyal Yifrach, the ISA learned that Hamas was behind the kidnapping.The two main terrorists involved in the abduction are Marwan Kawasmeh and Amar Abu-Isa, Hamas activists from Hebron, who became fugitives immediately upon the perpetration of the kidnapping. The Israel Security Agency and IDF have been conducting a wide-ranging manhunt to apprehend the fugitives, first and foremost in order to locate the abducted youths.
Marwan Kawasmeh
Marwan Kawasmeh
Marwan Kawasmeh has been previously arrested for his activities in Hamas.
He was born in 1985 and already at 18 was arrested, tried and sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment (until August 2004).
He has since been arrested on four other occasions and has been held in administrative detention.
In his most recent investigation, in 2010, he admitted to having been recruited to the Hamas military wing in the Hebron area in 2009. He was involved in military training in caves in the Hebron area, was active in obtaining raw materials for the production of explosives and assisted the organization in recruiting additional youths for Hamas activities. For these actions, he was imprisoned until March 2012.
Amar Abu-Eisha
Amar Abu-Eisha
Amar Abu-Eisha was born in 1981. He was arrested for the first time in November 2005, investigated and held in administrative detention until June 2006.
He was arrested again in April 2007 and held for a short time.
His terrorist brother was killed in November 2005 in the act of attempting to throw an explosive device at an IDF force.
His father was arrested in Israel several times for terrorist activities.
Marwan Kawasmeh and Amar Abu-Eisha operated in the framework of the Hamas organization in the Hebron area. Several other suspects have been detained by the ISA, IDF and Israel Police on suspicion of involvement in the abduction.
Bring back our boys
The Jewish Agency for Israel Board of Governors has joined the global call for the release of the three kidnapped Israeli teens Eyal Yifrah, Naftali Fraenkel, and Gil-Ad Shaer. The Board of Governors’ June meetings opened on Sunday with the recitation of Psalms on the teens’ behalf. Today, hundreds of Jewish leaders from around the world held up placards bearing the phrase #BringBackOurBoys during the meetings’ closing plenary.
The #BringBackOurBoys campaign was launched shortly after it was announced that the three Israeli teens had been kidnapped. It has since been used by individuals and organizations around the world to help raise awareness of the teens’ and their families’ plight. Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency Natan Sharansky joined the campaign himself last week, posting a photo with the phrase on his Facebook page.
Hundreds of leaders from Jewish organizations and communities around the world gathered in Israel to participate in The Jewish Agency’s Board of Governors meetings this week in Jerusalem. Speakers at the gathering included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Speaker of the Knesset Yuli (Yoel) Edelstein, Minister of Education Rabbi Shai Piron, Minister of Environmental Protection Amir Peretz, and Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel Natan Sharansky.
Discussions during the three-day event focused on initiatives spearheaded by The Jewish Agency in partnership with the Government of Israel and world Jewry to ensure the continuity of the Jewish people and strengthen young Jews’ connections to Jewish life and to the State of Israel. Board members were presented with reports on the dramatic increases in Aliyah (immigration to Israel) from France and Ukraine and the expansion of Jewish Agency activities in those countries and elsewhere around the world. The participants also discussed the fight against rising antisemitism and efforts to combat the delegitimization of Israel. Earlier today, members of the Board of Governors went to the Knesset to meet with Members of Knesset from across the political spectrum and discuss issues affecting the Jewish world and Israel-Diaspora relations.
