State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki responded to the murder of three innocent Israeli teens with what some may interpret as complete tone deafness. She urged “continued security cooperation” between Israelis and Palestinians despite “the tragedy and the enormous pain on the ground as a result.”
Psaki refused to answer how the murder of the innocent teenagers would affect the United States’s relationship with the new Palestinian unity government that includes the Hamas terrorist organization.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest was asked about the reports. He said, “We obviously condemn, in the strongest possible terms, violence that takes the lives of innocent civilians. But I don’t want to react any further without having a chance to take a look at that report myself.”
The bodies of three Israeli boys that were kidnapped by two Hamas terrorists have been found by Israeli forces, according to reports.
It appears the three boys – Gilad Shaar, Eyal Yifrach, and American citizen Naftali Frenkel – have been murdered by their Palestinian terrorist abductors.
The Israel Defense Forces released a statement:
Following extensive searches in order to retrieve the three abducted teens… Three bodies were discovered in the area north-west to Hebron, north of the community of Telem. The bodies are currently going through forensic identification. The families of the abducted teens have been notified.
Israel convened an emergency cabinet meeting, which was scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Eastern on Monday. Announcements of condemnation and resolve from the Israeli government followed.
The Israeli media has reported that all of its Knesset parliamentary sessions tonight have been cancelled.
Before the announcement of the three teens deaths, there were reportedly clashes in Halhul, an Arab city in the West Bank, between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians.
On Thursday, Israel named two Hamas operatives as suspects in the kidnapping. The two suspects, Amer Abu Aysha and Marwan Kawasme, had been missing from their homes in Hebron since the kidnapping took place on June 12. They are still believed to be at large.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.