Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal denies involvement in kidnapping of 3 teens
Al-Jazeera Live posted a video of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Khaled Mashaal at a press conference in Doha, during Operation Protective Edge. In the interview, Mashaal denies Hamas involvement in the kidnapping of the 3 Israeli teens (see note below), but only a month later on August 22, Mashaal admits the kidnapping was carried out by Hamas members.
“On June 12, three settlers went missing, and we still do not know who caught them or who killed them later on. But the failing and helpless [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu hastened, in his arrogance, to frame Hamas. Nonetheless, it is a duty and an honor to resist the occupiers, soldiers and settlers. He abused the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem, and let the settlers burn Muhammad Abu Khdeir. Obama and the leaders of the West should have honored moral and human values, and deterred Netanyahu and his settlers after this heinous crime. He moved the offensive to Gaza, which had done nothing but [express its] rage (i.e., launch rockets at Israel), because we are members of one nation and our cause is one. That is how the unjustified aggression against Gaza began. The only reason [for it] was Netanyahu’s helplessness, [and his aim was] to absorb the rage of Israeli public opinion and deal with the wranglers within his government, such as [Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor] Liberman.”
Note: On June 12, 2014, Israeli teens Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar and Naftali Frenkel were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists while they were hitchhiking. The boys' bodies were found by Israeli security forces near Hebron on June 30, 2014. They appeared to have been shot to death soon after the abduction. Two days later, Palestinian teen Muhammad Abu Khdeir was kidnapped and murdered in Jerusalem in a revenge attack by Israeli extremists. Following this murder, Palestinians took to the streets of eastern Jerusalem in violent and continuous protests. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli ministers immediately condemned the revenge killing in the strongest terms. Israeli police arrested six Israeli suspects on July 6th; under interrogation, three of the suspects confessed to murdering Khdeir.
“On June 12, three settlers went missing, and we still do not know who caught them or who killed them later on. But the failing and helpless [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu hastened, in his arrogance, to frame Hamas. Nonetheless, it is a duty and an honor to resist the occupiers, soldiers and settlers. He abused the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem, and let the settlers burn Muhammad Abu Khdeir. Obama and the leaders of the West should have honored moral and human values, and deterred Netanyahu and his settlers after this heinous crime. He moved the offensive to Gaza, which had done nothing but [express its] rage (i.e., launch rockets at Israel), because we are members of one nation and our cause is one. That is how the unjustified aggression against Gaza began. The only reason [for it] was Netanyahu’s helplessness, [and his aim was] to absorb the rage of Israeli public opinion and deal with the wranglers within his government, such as [Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor] Liberman.”
Note: On June 12, 2014, Israeli teens Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar and Naftali Frenkel were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists while they were hitchhiking. The boys' bodies were found by Israeli security forces near Hebron on June 30, 2014. They appeared to have been shot to death soon after the abduction. Two days later, Palestinian teen Muhammad Abu Khdeir was kidnapped and murdered in Jerusalem in a revenge attack by Israeli extremists. Following this murder, Palestinians took to the streets of eastern Jerusalem in violent and continuous protests. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli ministers immediately condemned the revenge killing in the strongest terms. Israeli police arrested six Israeli suspects on July 6th; under interrogation, three of the suspects confessed to murdering Khdeir.