Former Israel Security Agency (ISA, or Shin Bet) chief Yuval Diskin blamed Israel’s agreements to release terrorists for the kidnapping of three yeshiva boys, stating on Saturday that the policy encourages more abductions.
“We should stop releasing terrorists for kidnapped soldiers, or releasing terrorists instead of implementing a construction freeze [in Judea and Samaria – ed.] during peace talks with the Palestinians – it encourages more kidnappings,” Diskin wrote on Facebook.
Diskin did not encourage the use of force against the PA, however, emphasizing that PA security forces were likely aiding the IDF in locating the boys.
“I call on experts who recommend to use force against Abbas and all against the Palestinians, who say that all our problems will be solved [that way], to explain themselves – I don’t get it,” Diskin continued. “You must find the missing/abducted boys, and come together with a sense of shared destiny and concern for the boys to make an effort to locate them and return them to their families. However, to talk about ‘using force’ as if we are not working with the PA to find the boys [is not appropriate], I – and others who have ‘been there’ for so many years – can attest to that.”
On Saturday night, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu confirmed that “there is no doubt” that Eyal Yifrah, 19, from Elad; Naftali Frenkel, 16, from Nof Ayalon; and Gilad Sha’ar, 16, from Talmon were abducted by terrorists.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has made a number of conflicting statements on the kidnapping. On Friday, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas promised that the PA would help search for the teens.
But earlier on Friday, a spokesman for the PA’s security services said that the PA was not responsible for the three students’ disappearance.
“Three settlers are missing, why is this the fault of the Palestinian Authority? We have nothing to do with this issue,” the spokesman said.
“If a natural disaster hits Israel, would we be responsible? This is mad and unacceptable, we have no knowledge about this,” he added.
