Three Israeli boys, yeshiva students in their teens, came up missing six days ago on Friday, June 13, after they were last seen hitchhiking in the West Bank. The overwhelming suspicion is that they were taken captive by terrorists. Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly held the Palestinian Authority responsible for the well being of the boys. A first report linked here from The Times of Israel. The students have not been found yet.
One of the most disturbing aspects of the Times article…
Earlier Friday, a senior Islamic Jihad official called on Palestinians to kidnap Israeli citizens, arguing that Israel had proven in the past that it was willing to negotiate the release of Palestinian security prisoners in exchange for the lives of its civilians.
Who can argue with his logic? Recall that Israel agreed to release 1,027 terror convicts in exchange for captured soldier, Gilad Shalit, on October 11, 2011, “the first captured Israeli soldier to be released alive in 26 years.”
Three teenagers are missing and Israel, once again, suffers from a broken heart, the same desperate Israeli organ that brokered the Shalit exchange, compassionate to a fault, blind to the bitter reality that Gilad’s freedom would inevitably endanger more.
What can Israel do now? There are signs, vigils, protests, outrage… Bring Back Our Boys. The IDF is said to be conducting a massive hunt in Palestinian controlled territory to find and recover the boys before we may again feel compelled to release thousands more terrorists and so sustain the cycle.
I spoke about the missing students to a rabbi today who said words to the effect…
What can I do? I can pray and recite psalms…so I do that.
A united Israel, praying together for God to work a miracle in the missing boys’ favor, seems to be, by far, the best that anyone could do.
Betsy Klotz says
June 20, 2014 at 12:10 amOur Shepherding Group is praying for a safe return of the boys. God is STILL the God of miracles.
Sandy Wingate says
June 19, 2014 at 8:38 pmI’m praying Cliff. This is a hard situation for Israel, which is like a small family. Anything that touches one, touches all. I miss Jerusalem so very much. I’ve been away for 14 months now. Lots of love to you and Marcia, Sandy
Jet says
June 19, 2014 at 6:30 pmCliff: Are you seeing things heating up generally? Jet.
Cliff says
June 20, 2014 at 6:33 amThere has definitely been an increase in tension. Since the PA linked up with the terror group, Hamas,even liberal Israelis seem a bit threatened and stunned.