Netanyahu exploits missing teenagers

The Israeli leader is making political gain from an incident that should have rallied a community.

A week ago, three Israeli teenagers disappeared while hitchhiking in the West Bank. Almost immediately, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, blamed members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas for kidnapping the youths. So far, more than 200 Palestinians have been arrested, many scores of homes raided and trashed by a squad of 1,000 heavily armed soldiers, and a Palestinian youth shot dead at a refugee camp.

This is the way things happen in the West Bank. But it’s not the way events could, or should, have unfolded.

The fact that these teenagers are missing – and the real possibility that they are in danger – should be a matter of concern for everyone. We can only imagine how their parents must be feeling, and they deserve sympathy and support.

Instead of reaching out for help, Mr Netanyahu has pointed the finger of blame very broadly and followed up with an exercise in collective punishment of Palestinians. Hundreds of people have been penalised for a presumed crime that may have been committed by some of their associates, or by someone else entirely.

Hamas is not blameless. Although not claiming responsibility, the organisation issued a statement praising the kidnapping and calling the perpetrators “heroes”. For their part, some Israelis set up a Facebook page calling for the summary execution of Palestinians at the rate of one person an hour until the teenagers were returned. These are clearly not the ­actions of people who genuinely want to get along with their neighbours.

Mr Netanyahu is angry that Hamas, which Israel deems a terrorist organisation, has come to a power-sharing agreement with the Palestinian Authority – a move that both the EU and the US have welcomed – as a necessary precursor to Palestinian self-determination in the West Bank and Gaza.

The kidnapping incident has given Mr Netanyahu an excuse to carry out an act of political vengeance that, almost inevitably, will be met with further resistance. Once again, the Palestinian people have paid the price.