Abducted soldier's sister: PM said tank was my brother's
Sister of Yehuda Katz, one of the three missing soldiers abducted from a tank during the first Lebanon war, claims she has recorded conversations proving she was told that tank returned by Russia was her brother's.
Following the Prime Minister's Office's (PMO) denial that Netanyahu said that the Magach tank seized by Syrian troops during the first Lebanon War in 1982, which was returned to Israel from Russia, was the one from which three IDF soldiers were abducted, the sister of one of the abducted soldiers claims that she has the PM on tape stating otherwise
Prachyah Hyman, sister of Yehuda Katz, one of the three missing soldiers - along with Zacharia Baumel and Tzvi Feldman - was interviewed on Channel 10’s Friday morning program during which she claimed that she is in possession of recorded conversations proving she was told that this was the particular tank from which the soldiers were abducted.
On Saturday she refused to disclose the exact content of the recordings, saying only that "regarding every action, including the use or non-use of the tapes, I consult with my other brother and my family as well as with my attorney. I will do whatever it takes to bring Yehuda home".
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally received the IDF Magach-3 tank captured by Syria during his state visit to Russia on June 8. The tank was seized during the battle of Sultan Yacoub on June 11, 1982, in which 30 IDF soldiers were killed and another three, who manned the captured tank, went missing.
During the interview, Hyman said she knew that the tank returned to Israel wasn’t her brother’s. "I received the number of the tank from Russia when the Prime Minister was there, and I compared it with the vehicle identification number which I have. I realized that it's not the same tank," she said.
She claims the IDF was aware of the false inforation surrounding the tank and expressed her anger at receiving a message stating that it was her brother’s tank. “Why keep me on edge with an announcement saying that it’s my brother’s tank? The Prime Minister did call me and say the tank of the abducted soldiers is returning. I can't describe this as anything else other than Russian roulette which a bereaved brother - in this case the Prime Minister - played with the sister of a missing soldier.”
During the program’s broadcast, the PMO delivered its own reactions to the matter: “Out of respect for the families of the missing persons, Netanyahu personally briefed Prachyah Katz and the representatives of the Baumel and Feldman families an hour before issuing the announcement on the tank’s return," the statement said. "The Prime Minister’s spokespersons' announcement said the tank was from the Sultan Yacoub battle but it has not been determined whether it belonged to the abducted individuals.” To this Hyman responded, “I have recorded conversations.”
