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קמפיין ל שחרור ה חטופים חטיפה
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Mother of abducted teen speaks at UN committee

Mothers of Gil-Ad Shaer and Eyal Yifrach join Rachel Frenkel as she addresses UN Human Rights Committee on kidnapped boys.

Security forces have been searching for the three kidnapped teenagers - Gil-Ad Shaer, Naftali Frenkel, and Eyal Yifrach - for more than a week-and-a-half, but there is still no information to conclude their fate or determine their where abouts.

 

 

Rachel Frenkel, mother of Naftali, is due to speak before the UN Human Rights Committee Tuesday in an attempt to convince the international community to put greater pressure on those responsible - in all likeliness Hamas. 

 

Meanwhile, the US vetoed a Security Council resolution Monday that would have condemned the killing of Palestinians by the IDF as they search the West Bank for the missing boys.

 

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As she waited to board the plane for Geneva, Bat Galim Shaer said, "We want to tell the world that our children left school and just wanted to get home. This is intolerable and the world is quiet. Our children have already been missing for 12 days and we don't know what's happening with them."

 

"The message that we want to give to the nations of the world in Geneva is simple: We want our children at home. We want to send our pleas to the world as mothers in order to inspire the world's nations to condemn the abduction and act to put pressure on Hamas," said Shaer.

 

Bat Galim Shaer (right) and Iris Yifrach at Ben Gurion airport before takeoff. (Photo: Meir Turgeman) (Photo: Meir Turgeman)
Bat Galim Shaer (right) and Iris Yifrach at Ben Gurion airport before takeoff. (Photo: Meir Turgeman)

 

Iris Yifrach, mother to Eyal, also spoke from the airport saying, "We want to bring the kids back home. We are all waiting for the moment that we can embrace Eyal, Gil-Ad, and Naftali. We are going to tell the world to help us bring the boys back home."

 

Iris and Bat Galim boarded their plane and took off close to 1:20am. After a brief stop in Brussels, the mothers will fly to Geneva to join Rachel Frenkel, Naftali's mother, who is expected to address the UN representatives.

 

"This is the first time that I've flown abroad and leave my children and my home. Anything to bring the boys home," said Yifrach.

 

"We want to tell them that children can't be kidnapped amidst this conflict," said Shaer. "The world has a lot of power. The world can explain to Hamas, even by applying sanctions, that it doesn't pay to harm our kids."

 

"The Jewish people in the world and in Israel are with us. It's very important that the world join our struggle."

 

Photo: Meir Turgeman (Photo: Meir Turgeman)
Photo: Meir Turgeman

 

Before takeoff Shaer added, "If the children can hear us, I want to tell them that we love them and we won't stop until we reach them. They are strong kids and we are a strong nation."

 

As the mothers took off to try to convince the international community, Gil-Ad Shaer's sisters sent a letter to IDF soldiers. "Since the abduction we haven't been able to sleep at night. We know that you aren't sleeping at night either while you do everything to return him (Gil-Ad) along with Eyal and Naftali safe and sound," wrote Shirel, Tahel, Meitar, Hillel, and Maor.

 

The sisters also wrote that, "We feel that every single soldier that goes out to search for Gil-Ad is like our brother, really a part of the family. We have no words to thank you... You've taught us that the IDF is the most powerful army in the Middle East. We know that the IDF is the strongest army in the world."

 

In a closed meeting, the Security Council discussed the situation in the Middle East and the Palestinian's request from the Russians to push the UN for an official condemnation of Israel's policy of "collective punishment" in their search for the three teens.

 

The Israeli ambassador to the UN responded to the Palestinian request saying, "It's about time that the Security Council deals with the abduction of students and seniors by terrorists."

 

"Every day we are shocked by stories of terror: 49 people were taken captive at the Turkish consulate. Forty construction workers were taken captive in northern Iraq. Hundreds of school girls were taken from their school in northern Nigeria and the list goes on."

 

"It's time that the international community says in a clear voice - enough. Countries can't allow for their children and citizens to be the victims of the terror epidemic that threatens to overpower entire countries," said the ambassador.

 

Itay Blumenthal contributed to this report

 


פרסום ראשון: 06.24.14, 11:43
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