Netanyahu's Assignment of Blame for Teen Deaths Cast Into Doubt
Alexander Reed Kelly
A BBC reporter claims an Israeli police official told him the men responsible for kidnapping and killing three Israeli teens last month were not acting under instruction from Hamas.
The abduction and killings were used as a justification for the Israeli military assault on Gaza that began July 8 and is ongoing. When the deaths were announced, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unequivocally blamed Hamas, the militant Islamic group that has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007 and has formed a unity government with the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank.
“Hamas is responsible, and Hamas will pay,” read a translation of a post on Netanyahu’s Facebook page. The kidnapping occurred June 12.
Returning to the question of responsibility, BBC journalist Jon Donnison tweeted Friday morning:
Israeli police MickeyRosenfeld tells me men who killed 3 Israeli teens def lone cell, hamas affiliated but not operating under leadership1/2
— Jon Donnison (@JonDonnison) July 25, 2014
Seems to contradict the line from Netanyahu government. 2/2
— Jon Donnison (@JonDonnison) July 25, 2014
Israeli police spokes Mickey Rosenfeld also said if kidnapping had been ordered by Hamas leadership, they’d have known about it in advance.
— Jon Donnison (@JonDonnison) July 25, 2014
Mickey Rosenfeld said lone cells much harder to track. Said they would find whoever was now protecting the two suspects.
— Jon Donnison (@JonDonnison) July 25, 2014
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.