The Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) claimed identifying two Palestinians believed to be behind the reported kidnapping of the three Israeli settlers, and that the two are former political prisoners. Israeli Ynet News has reported that Marwan al-Qawasmi, 26, and Ammar Abu Aisha, 33, from the southern West Bank city of Hebron, are members of the Hamas movement, and “played an important role” in the case of the missing settlers.
It said the report about the two Palestinians was cleared for publication Thursday, two full weeks after the three settlers went missing.
The Shin Bet said many Palestinians have been interrogated, and many others are still under interrogation, adding that the two believed to be behind the abduction have “been sought since the day the settlers disappeared”.
The army said even brothers and wives of the two men have also been kidnapped, and interrogated, but the women were released later on.
In addition, Ynet quoted an unnamed Palestinian security official, stating that Palestinian security forces have also been searching for the two, as “they disappeared since the settlers went missing two weeks ago”.
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the development is part of the ongoing Israeli military campaign, and called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to void the unity agreement with the Hamas movement.
Arab Media Spokesperson of the Israeli Military, Ofir Gendelman, stated that the military operations in the West Bank are ongoing, and will continue until locating the missing Israelis.
It is worth mentioning that the army first kidnapped Marwan al-Qawasmy when he was 18, and imprisoned him for ten months.
Following his release, in 2004, al-Qawasmi was also kidnapped and imprisoned four times, including under Administrative Detention orders, without charges or trial.
According to Israeli sources, al-Qawasmi “confessed” under interrogation in 2010 that he is a member of the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, since 2009, and that he “received training on handling explosives”.
As for Abu Aisha, he was first kidnapped and imprisoned under Administrative Detention, without charges or trial, in November of 2005, and was released in June of 2006. He was kidnapped, and imprisoned for a short time, again in 2007.
Israel alleges that his brother, who was killed in November of 2005, died while trying to throw an explosive charge at an Israeli military vehicle. Their father was also repeatedly imprisoned.
The Israeli army have kidnapped hundreds of Palestinians, including dozens of children, since the three Israeli settlers went missing.
More than 120 Palestinians have been injured during the extensive 2-week military campaign across the West Bank and Gaza, officially dubbed ‘Brother’s Keeper’ by Israel, and more than 1,350 homes and offices, along with several universities, have been raided.
According to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS), 566 Palestinians have been detained over the course of the raids, including 12 members of parliament.
On Wednesday June 25, the Ahrar Center for Detainees Studies and Human Rights has reported that the army also killed seven Palestinians in the latest invasions, and that one of them died by an Israeli landmine in the Jordan Valley.
Two of the slain Palestinians are children, identified as Mohammad Jihad Doudin, 13, from Hebron, and Sakher Abu Mohsin, 16, who was killed in the Jordan Valley.
Related:
Palestinian Dies of Wounds Suffered Last Friday
http://www.imemc.org/article/68229
Palestinian Killed By Army Fire In Ramallah
http://www.imemc.org/article/68189
Palestinian Killed By Army Fire In Nablus
http://www.imemc.org/article/68187
Teen Killed By Israeli Landmine In Jordan Valley
http://www.imemc.org/article/68185
Elderly Woman Dies After Army Invades Her Home In Hebron
http://www.imemc.org/article/68237
Updated From:
Israel Targets Pair in Alleged Kidnapping
Chris Carlson – IMEMC, Thu, 26 Jun 2014 22:49:15
Today, the Israeli military announced that they had identified Marwan al-Qawasmi, age 29, and Ammar Abu Aisha, 33, as the two main suspects in the disappearance of three Israeli youth who went missing from the West Bank, two weeks ago.
In their statement, the military said that the wives of the two suspects had been detained for questioning and their homes raided, adding that both of the men have previously served time in Israeli prison, according to Ma’an News Agency.
They claim that the two, both from Hebron and considered ‘Hamas operatives’, were identified within 24 hours after the ‘kidnapping’, but that they were still at large.
More than 120 Palestinians have been injured during the extensive 2-week military campaign across the West Bank and Gaza, officially dubbed ‘Brother’s Keeper’ by Israel, and more than 1,350 homes and offices, along with several universities, have been raided.
According to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, 566 Palestinians have been detained over the course of the raids, including 12 members of parliament.
Hamas has emphatically denied involvement in the disappearance of the 3 settlers, and evidence to show that there was indeed an abduction has yet to surface.
