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| Rift Bared as Palestinians Aid Israel in Search for Teenagers Missing in West Bank | Rift Bared as Palestinians Aid Israel in Search for Teenagers Missing in West Bank |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| JERUSALEM — As the search continued on Saturday for three Israeli teenagers who were missing in the West Bank and were presumed to have been abducted by Palestinian militants, the crisis underscored the complexity of Israel’s relations with the Palestinian Authority and the authority’s deep differences with Hamas despite a recent reconciliation pact. | JERUSALEM — As the search continued on Saturday for three Israeli teenagers who were missing in the West Bank and were presumed to have been abducted by Palestinian militants, the crisis underscored the complexity of Israel’s relations with the Palestinian Authority and the authority’s deep differences with Hamas despite a recent reconciliation pact. |
| Israel has shunned the new Palestinian government that grew out of the pact because it is backed by Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States and Europe. But a senior Israeli military official said Saturday that there was “ongoing security coordination” between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and that the Authority understood the seriousness of the situation. | Israel has shunned the new Palestinian government that grew out of the pact because it is backed by Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States and Europe. But a senior Israeli military official said Saturday that there was “ongoing security coordination” between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and that the Authority understood the seriousness of the situation. |
| “They realize that this is not just another terrorist attack,” he said, referring to the abductions. “It has a substantial meaning to us.” | “They realize that this is not just another terrorist attack,” he said, referring to the abductions. “It has a substantial meaning to us.” |
| In Gaza, however, the Hamas military wing praised the apparent kidnapping, without accepting responsibility for it. A Hamas official criticized the Palestinian Authority security forces for carrying out arrests in the West Bank as part of the effort to find the missing teenagers. | In Gaza, however, the Hamas military wing praised the apparent kidnapping, without accepting responsibility for it. A Hamas official criticized the Palestinian Authority security forces for carrying out arrests in the West Bank as part of the effort to find the missing teenagers. |
| Ismail Radwan, a Hamas official and former minister of religious affairs in Gaza, said in a telephone interview that the Palestinian Authority must stop working with Israel on security issues, adding, “This is a free service to the occupation and encourages it to commit more crimes.” | Ismail Radwan, a Hamas official and former minister of religious affairs in Gaza, said in a telephone interview that the Palestinian Authority must stop working with Israel on security issues, adding, “This is a free service to the occupation and encourages it to commit more crimes.” |
| Many believe the three teenagers might have been abducted as bargaining chips in an attempt to free Palestinian prisoners. One of the three also holds United States citizenship, according to people with knowledge of the case. | Many believe the three teenagers might have been abducted as bargaining chips in an attempt to free Palestinian prisoners. One of the three also holds United States citizenship, according to people with knowledge of the case. |
| In a televised statement on Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “In these difficult hours the heart of the entire nation is with the teens and their families.” He added, “Our young people have been kidnapped by a terrorist organization. This is absolutely clear.” | In a televised statement on Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “In these difficult hours the heart of the entire nation is with the teens and their families.” He added, “Our young people have been kidnapped by a terrorist organization. This is absolutely clear.” |
| President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and most Hamas leaders have so far remained silent about the case. | President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and most Hamas leaders have so far remained silent about the case. |
| The Israeli military released the names and ages of the missing people on Saturday, identifying them as Eyal Yifrach, 19, and two 16-year-olds, Naftali Frankel and Gilad Shaar. The government did not yet say which young man might also have United States citizenship. | |
| The three were last heard from late on Thursday as they set out to hitchhike home from a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, where they studied in a religious high school and seminary. | The three were last heard from late on Thursday as they set out to hitchhike home from a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, where they studied in a religious high school and seminary. |
| Israel’s defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, said in a televised statement on Saturday that the search for the missing teenagers was focused mainly in and around Hebron in the West Bank, and that “so long as we do not know otherwise, our working assumption is that they are still alive.” | Israel’s defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, said in a televised statement on Saturday that the search for the missing teenagers was focused mainly in and around Hebron in the West Bank, and that “so long as we do not know otherwise, our working assumption is that they are still alive.” |
| The military beefed up its forces in the Hebron area, searched houses and carried out arrests. Israeli forces have removed a burned-out car from the area to examine it for any possible links to the disappearance of the teenagers. | The military beefed up its forces in the Hebron area, searched houses and carried out arrests. Israeli forces have removed a burned-out car from the area to examine it for any possible links to the disappearance of the teenagers. |
| Israelis were gripped by the presumed abductions, with some reciting special prayers for the missing teenagers in synagogue on Saturday morning. All the main television channels broadcast live reports about the situation throughout the day, contrary to usual practice on the Jewish Sabbath. | Israelis were gripped by the presumed abductions, with some reciting special prayers for the missing teenagers in synagogue on Saturday morning. All the main television channels broadcast live reports about the situation throughout the day, contrary to usual practice on the Jewish Sabbath. |
| Mr. Netanyahu of Israel has taken a tough line, saying he holds Mr. Abbas responsible for the well-being of the teenagers and asserting that the episode came as a consequence of the new Palestinian government, even though there was no evidence that Hamas was involved in the case. The government resulted from the pact signed in April between the Palestine Liberation Organization, the authority’s political umbrella, and Hamas, which dominates Gaza. | Mr. Netanyahu of Israel has taken a tough line, saying he holds Mr. Abbas responsible for the well-being of the teenagers and asserting that the episode came as a consequence of the new Palestinian government, even though there was no evidence that Hamas was involved in the case. The government resulted from the pact signed in April between the Palestine Liberation Organization, the authority’s political umbrella, and Hamas, which dominates Gaza. |
| Ghassan Khatib, vice president of Birzeit University in the West Bank and a former spokesman for the Palestinian Authority government, said that Mr. Netanyahu’s remarks were hostile and prejudiced, and failed to acknowledge Mr. Abbas’s insistence on continuing security coordination with Israel. | Ghassan Khatib, vice president of Birzeit University in the West Bank and a former spokesman for the Palestinian Authority government, said that Mr. Netanyahu’s remarks were hostile and prejudiced, and failed to acknowledge Mr. Abbas’s insistence on continuing security coordination with Israel. |
| “Everybody knows that this era of security cooperation has been the most successful in the history of the Israeli occupation,” Mr. Khatib said in a telephone interview from Ramallah, in the West Bank. He accused Mr. Netanyahu of being “busy scoring political points.” | “Everybody knows that this era of security cooperation has been the most successful in the history of the Israeli occupation,” Mr. Khatib said in a telephone interview from Ramallah, in the West Bank. He accused Mr. Netanyahu of being “busy scoring political points.” |
| An Israeli government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly, defended Mr. Netanyahu’s stance. “Hamas has been directly responsible for countless kidnap attempts and murders of Israelis,” the official said. Now, he said, Mr. Abbas had formed a government on the basis of a signed agreement with Hamas, giving it legitimacy and allowing it a presence in the West Bank. | An Israeli government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly, defended Mr. Netanyahu’s stance. “Hamas has been directly responsible for countless kidnap attempts and murders of Israelis,” the official said. Now, he said, Mr. Abbas had formed a government on the basis of a signed agreement with Hamas, giving it legitimacy and allowing it a presence in the West Bank. |
| “We know that one of the establishing principles of the Palestinian Authority was that it would fight terrorism,” the official added. “That is no longer clear.” | “We know that one of the establishing principles of the Palestinian Authority was that it would fight terrorism,” the official added. “That is no longer clear.” |