10 july 2015
Over the past ten months, Israel's right-wing government has maintained a news blackout about the disappearance of two of its citizens in the Gaza Strip. However, on the first anniversary of Israel's Operation Protective Edge offensive last summer, the lid has been lifted on the situation dramatically. Although we don't know if the two Israelis are dead or being held hostage, from now on their fate will, inescapably, be linked to that of thousands of Palestinians "disappeared" in Israeli jails.
Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu is coming under intense pressure to secure the release of all those missing in Gaza. To describe his task as difficult would be an understatement. After all, he broke the terms of the October 2011 prisoner exchange deal under which Sergeant Gilad Shalit was released by Hamas. As an interlocutor, Netanyahu simply cannot be trusted.
On its part, Hamas has, since the 2014 war, refused to give any information about whether it has any prisoners-of-war or whether it has the remains of dead soldiers, as some Israel sources claim. The movement's tactic, it seems, is to put the onus on Israel so that it comes clean and declares the truth about how many of its personnel are actually missing in Gaza.
Can Hamas secure the release of its prisoners from Israeli jails, as it did in the Shalit deal? Israeli commentators doubt this. They point out that the circumstances today are different. Besides, they say that the specific case of the Ethiopian-born soldier Abraha Mengistu and the other missing Israeli is also different because both individuals had "psychological problems" and strayed "innocently" into Gaza.
By releasing some senior Hamas leaders in the past two weeks Israel is clearly sending a signal to the resistance movement that it is finally ready to do a deal. For all its worth, the release of the Hamas parliamentarians hardly seems enough. Hamas officials insist that there will be no information of any kind given out before Israel releases all of the prisoners who were freed as part of the Shalit deal and then rearrested immediately by the occupation authorities.
Under the terms of the Shalit exchange deal with Hamas, 1,027 Palestinian prisoners were freed. Since then, the Netanyahu government has rearrested 70 of the former prisoners; among them there are 34 whose sentences, including life, have been reinstated.
It took five years to do a deal for Shalit's release. As it stands, the Israeli prime minister will not have the luxury of five years to secure the release of the current captives. Empty promises will not suffice. There is already growing discontent and unrest among Israel's large Ethiopian Jewish community. They accuse the Israeli establishment of systemic racial discrimination that relegates them to the status of second class citizens. So, to the same degree that the Israeli media mobilised international support for the French Jewish captive Shalit, they must now act and be seen to be doing something for the captured Ethiopian, Mengistu.
Not for the first time in his longstanding confrontations with Hamas, Netanyahu has found himself cornered. He was vilified by his right-wing allies for agreeing to the Shalit deal. They orchestrated the subsequent passage of a law to prevent any similar agreements in future. Even if the prime minister wants to help the Ethiopian community, his hands are effectively tied by the extremist elements in his own government.
Despite their usual threats that Hamas will be held responsible for the missing Israelis, both Defence Minister Moshe Yallon and Netanyahu are aware that there can be no military solution to the issue. At the end of the day, they will have to negotiate a political deal, however bitter and humiliating it might be.
The trouble is, no one knows for sure how any captives are held in Gaza and who is holding them. The presumption is that they are in the hands of Hamas, but that has not been confirmed. As far as the movement is concerned there will be no free information. Abu Obaydah, the spokesman for the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, did not give much away this week when he spoke at a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the war. "Friends and foes should know that the files arising from [Operation Protective Edge] and their requirements are still open," he explained. "At the top of them is the prisoners' dossier."
The guns which blasted across Gaza last summer may have been silenced but another battle-front has opened up between the occupying power and the resistance. The stakes are equally high. To the same degree that Netanyahu's credibility is being tested, so too is Hamas called upon to deliver on its solemn undertaking to secure the freedom of thousands of prisoners. Whether it takes another five years, as was the case with Shalit, is hardly relevant. What matters is the fact that Israel has finally announced that it has missing personnel in Gaza. That in itself gives hope to thousands of Palestinian families that their fathers, sons and brothers may have a future.
Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu is coming under intense pressure to secure the release of all those missing in Gaza. To describe his task as difficult would be an understatement. After all, he broke the terms of the October 2011 prisoner exchange deal under which Sergeant Gilad Shalit was released by Hamas. As an interlocutor, Netanyahu simply cannot be trusted.
On its part, Hamas has, since the 2014 war, refused to give any information about whether it has any prisoners-of-war or whether it has the remains of dead soldiers, as some Israel sources claim. The movement's tactic, it seems, is to put the onus on Israel so that it comes clean and declares the truth about how many of its personnel are actually missing in Gaza.
Can Hamas secure the release of its prisoners from Israeli jails, as it did in the Shalit deal? Israeli commentators doubt this. They point out that the circumstances today are different. Besides, they say that the specific case of the Ethiopian-born soldier Abraha Mengistu and the other missing Israeli is also different because both individuals had "psychological problems" and strayed "innocently" into Gaza.
By releasing some senior Hamas leaders in the past two weeks Israel is clearly sending a signal to the resistance movement that it is finally ready to do a deal. For all its worth, the release of the Hamas parliamentarians hardly seems enough. Hamas officials insist that there will be no information of any kind given out before Israel releases all of the prisoners who were freed as part of the Shalit deal and then rearrested immediately by the occupation authorities.
Under the terms of the Shalit exchange deal with Hamas, 1,027 Palestinian prisoners were freed. Since then, the Netanyahu government has rearrested 70 of the former prisoners; among them there are 34 whose sentences, including life, have been reinstated.
It took five years to do a deal for Shalit's release. As it stands, the Israeli prime minister will not have the luxury of five years to secure the release of the current captives. Empty promises will not suffice. There is already growing discontent and unrest among Israel's large Ethiopian Jewish community. They accuse the Israeli establishment of systemic racial discrimination that relegates them to the status of second class citizens. So, to the same degree that the Israeli media mobilised international support for the French Jewish captive Shalit, they must now act and be seen to be doing something for the captured Ethiopian, Mengistu.
Not for the first time in his longstanding confrontations with Hamas, Netanyahu has found himself cornered. He was vilified by his right-wing allies for agreeing to the Shalit deal. They orchestrated the subsequent passage of a law to prevent any similar agreements in future. Even if the prime minister wants to help the Ethiopian community, his hands are effectively tied by the extremist elements in his own government.
Despite their usual threats that Hamas will be held responsible for the missing Israelis, both Defence Minister Moshe Yallon and Netanyahu are aware that there can be no military solution to the issue. At the end of the day, they will have to negotiate a political deal, however bitter and humiliating it might be.
The trouble is, no one knows for sure how any captives are held in Gaza and who is holding them. The presumption is that they are in the hands of Hamas, but that has not been confirmed. As far as the movement is concerned there will be no free information. Abu Obaydah, the spokesman for the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, did not give much away this week when he spoke at a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the war. "Friends and foes should know that the files arising from [Operation Protective Edge] and their requirements are still open," he explained. "At the top of them is the prisoners' dossier."
The guns which blasted across Gaza last summer may have been silenced but another battle-front has opened up between the occupying power and the resistance. The stakes are equally high. To the same degree that Netanyahu's credibility is being tested, so too is Hamas called upon to deliver on its solemn undertaking to secure the freedom of thousands of prisoners. Whether it takes another five years, as was the case with Shalit, is hardly relevant. What matters is the fact that Israel has finally announced that it has missing personnel in Gaza. That in itself gives hope to thousands of Palestinian families that their fathers, sons and brothers may have a future.
A Hamas leader said Friday that talks will only take place with Israel regarding an exchange deal after Israel releases Palestinians who have been rearrested, despite being released in past prisoner swaps.
Hamas' Ismail Radwan said in a statement that “Israel must pay for everything," referring specifically to the Palestinians released during the Gilad Shait Deal in 2011, around 73 of whom were rearrested by Israeli forces in 2014.
The statement came after Israel's defense ministry announced, Thursday, that two Israeli citizens are allegedly being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli defense officials told Israeli media Friday that Israel "does not intend to free Palestinian prisoners" in exchange for the two Israeli citizens purportedly being held.
Israel's defense ministry said Thursday that Avraham Mengistu, an Israeli of Ethiopian descent "is being held against his will by Hamas in Gaza," adding that a Palestinian Bedouin citizen of Israel is also being held, without releasing further information.
The news was under a gag order until Thursday.
A Bedouin family of the al-Sayed village in the Negev told Ma'an Friday that their 28-year-old relative went missing on April 20 and is believed to be in Gaza.
The family said they had not yet been contacted by Israeli officials regards to the disappearance and had no idea of their relative's exact whereabouts, adding that the man had disappeared several times over the years and had been safely returned from Gaza twice before.
Israeli media reported that the 28-year-old's name and "other identifying details" are still under gag order, but said that Israeli defense sources reported that the man crossed the border to Gaza through the Erez crossing and is being held there by Hamas.
Hamas has yet to directly comment on or confirm the allegations.
In 2011, Israel released more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held by Hamas for five years.
An adviser to late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin reportedly wrote Friday that Netanyahu was anxious to avoid a reprise of the affair, which saw public opinion sharply divided for and against the mass release. "The prime minister did not and does not want to repeat the same maneuver in which dozens of life prisoners, who were supposed to take their last breath within the confines of an Israeli prison, were freed," Haber wrote.
While the family of the Palestinian Bedouin citizen of Israel has lacked any consultation by the Israeli government at all, Mengistu's family was reportedly threatened from speaking out about their son's disappearance.
Mengistu reportedly climbed over the "security fence" seperating Israel from Gaza at an Ashkelon beach last September. He was detained and questioned by Hamas, and later released, according to Israeli media. Lior Lotan -- coordinator of prisoner of war and missing in action affairs in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office -- was recorded speaking to the family in effort to prevent them from criticizing how the government had handled the debacle thus far.
"Anyone who makes Avera into a story about relations between the Ethiopian community and the state of Israel will leave him in Gaza for another year," Lotan is heard telling Mengistu's family, using the name by which he is known to friends and relatives.
"If we aren't together, we will make mistakes and Hamas will translate them into another year or another price," he said.
Lotan later apologized for his statements after Israeli media condemned the comments as patronizing and insensitive.
Hamas' Ismail Radwan said in a statement that “Israel must pay for everything," referring specifically to the Palestinians released during the Gilad Shait Deal in 2011, around 73 of whom were rearrested by Israeli forces in 2014.
The statement came after Israel's defense ministry announced, Thursday, that two Israeli citizens are allegedly being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli defense officials told Israeli media Friday that Israel "does not intend to free Palestinian prisoners" in exchange for the two Israeli citizens purportedly being held.
Israel's defense ministry said Thursday that Avraham Mengistu, an Israeli of Ethiopian descent "is being held against his will by Hamas in Gaza," adding that a Palestinian Bedouin citizen of Israel is also being held, without releasing further information.
The news was under a gag order until Thursday.
A Bedouin family of the al-Sayed village in the Negev told Ma'an Friday that their 28-year-old relative went missing on April 20 and is believed to be in Gaza.
The family said they had not yet been contacted by Israeli officials regards to the disappearance and had no idea of their relative's exact whereabouts, adding that the man had disappeared several times over the years and had been safely returned from Gaza twice before.
Israeli media reported that the 28-year-old's name and "other identifying details" are still under gag order, but said that Israeli defense sources reported that the man crossed the border to Gaza through the Erez crossing and is being held there by Hamas.
Hamas has yet to directly comment on or confirm the allegations.
In 2011, Israel released more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held by Hamas for five years.
An adviser to late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin reportedly wrote Friday that Netanyahu was anxious to avoid a reprise of the affair, which saw public opinion sharply divided for and against the mass release. "The prime minister did not and does not want to repeat the same maneuver in which dozens of life prisoners, who were supposed to take their last breath within the confines of an Israeli prison, were freed," Haber wrote.
While the family of the Palestinian Bedouin citizen of Israel has lacked any consultation by the Israeli government at all, Mengistu's family was reportedly threatened from speaking out about their son's disappearance.
Mengistu reportedly climbed over the "security fence" seperating Israel from Gaza at an Ashkelon beach last September. He was detained and questioned by Hamas, and later released, according to Israeli media. Lior Lotan -- coordinator of prisoner of war and missing in action affairs in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office -- was recorded speaking to the family in effort to prevent them from criticizing how the government had handled the debacle thus far.
"Anyone who makes Avera into a story about relations between the Ethiopian community and the state of Israel will leave him in Gaza for another year," Lotan is heard telling Mengistu's family, using the name by which he is known to friends and relatives.
"If we aren't together, we will make mistakes and Hamas will translate them into another year or another price," he said.
Lotan later apologized for his statements after Israeli media condemned the comments as patronizing and insensitive.
Israeli media outlets shed light Friday on statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s representative in which he threatened the family of Avera Mengistu, an Israeli missing soldier in Gaza for past 10 months.
This came after Israeli authorities admitted that two Israelis and two dead soldiers are being held captive by Hamas in the blockaded Gaza Strip, including one who was captured in September after he sneaked over the border fence for unknown reasons.
The Israeli media strongly criticized their government for not dealing with hostage issues before.
A gag order was lifted on Thursday that prevented publication of the details of the Mengistu case as well as the details of missing Israeli-Beduin who is also missing in Gaza, Jerusalem post said.
Harrestz Hebrew newspaper for its part pointed out that Israeli cabinet and head of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee were not aware of the matter.
The Israeli media outlets quoted the missing Israeli Bedouin’s father as saying that “nobody told me he was in Gaza.”
Jerusalem post added that the whole affair "smells of racism."
The family of the missing man attacked the Netanyaho for not talking to them or replying to their letters. "This is anti-Blackism. If [our sone] were white, there would be a different reaction," the family said.
PM visits Mangisto family amid claims of racism
Netanyahu assures family of Ethiopian Israeli held in Gaza that 'Israel will do everything' to bring him back home; Lior Lotan apologizes for threats to family.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emerged from a half-hour meeting Friday afternoon with the Mangisto family, saying that "Israel will do everything" to return their son to Israel.
Netanyahu added that, "We are dealing with a cruel organization and we will not sit back. We are in contact with the Mangisto family and the family of the other Israeli."
Netanyahu's insistence that Israel would take action to return the Israelis came after a 10-month-long gag order was lifted on the case and Israeli security officials said that a prisoner swap was not on the table for discussion. The case has provoked claims of racism on the part of the government for keeping Mangisto, an Ethiopian, and his case secret for so long.
Mangisto reportedly has mental health issues and it is not clear if he intentionally entered Gaza or did so by mistake as his family claims. The other Israeli mentioned by Netanyahu is an unidentified Arab citizen with a similar history of mental illness who also apparently entered Gaza of his own free will several months ago.
The family said that Netanyahu shared all of the information currently known regarding Avraham and his whereabouts.
Lior Lotan, the prime minister's envoy on hostages and missing persons, also visted the family on Friday afternoon and apologized for threatening them not to publically criticize the government in its handling of the case.
"The things that were said don't reflect the way I work, my values or my way of thinking. I feel a deep need to apologize to the family."
The representative also said that his threats, which were first revealed in a recording aired on Channel 10, did not reflect the opinions of Netanyahu. "I want to promise the family today that I will continue acting all the time, in every way with the family and the entire State system in order to complete the mission and quickly return Avraham to his home and family in good health."
The Mangisto family told Netanyahu during his visit Friday that they were sorry the recording of their meeting with Lotan had been released to the press.
Lotan quickly found himself in hot water on Thursday when it was revealed that he warned the Mangisto family against publicly making a connection between Mangisto's Ethiopian ancestry and the government's handling of the case, telling them that such actions would keep their son "in Gaza for another year." The meeting was held just before a 10-month-old gag order was lifted on the case of their missing son.
Lotan already apologized on Thursday night for his remarks to the family saying, "The good relationship we created during the past months will continue and we will work together until Avra returns home. I will continue to work voluntarily to return our captured and missing soldiers and civilians."
"It's good that Lior spoke with the family members and apologized to them," said Netanyahu on Thursday. "Lior works day and night voluntarily to return our missing soldiers and civilians."
In addition to the two civilians, Hamas also holds two bodies of IDF soldiers killed during Operation Protective Edge in 2014.
PM's envoy apologizes to missing man's family following leaked recording
Prime minister postpones meeting with relatives of Avraham Mangisto, missing in Gaza, after tape released of representative warning them to avoid public criticism.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has postponed a meeting scheduled for Friday with the family of missing Israeli Avraham Mangisto, after a recording was released in which a government envoy warned the relatives to refrain from public criticism.
Lior Lotan, the prime minister's envoy on hostages and missing persons, apologized Thursday for the tape, in which he was heard saying that publicly making a connection between Mangisto's Ethiopian ancestry and the government's handling of the case would "keep him in Gaza for another year."
"The good relationship we created during the past months will continue and we will work together until Avra returns home," said Lotan. "I will continue to work voluntarily to return our captured and missing soldiers and civilians."
"It's good that Lior spoke with the family members and apologized to them," said the prime minister. "Lior works day and night voluntarily to return our missing soldiers and civilians."
Shlomit Lotan, Lior's wife, posted on Facebook Friday morning an extensive defense of her husband and an attack on the media. "True, they broadcast one of many meetings that he held with the family, which was in this case very charged, and during which people got worked up unnecessarily, but it was not racism, and there were no threats. They broadcasted one minute of obstinacy, for which he apologized to the family.
"They caught him in a moment when he lost his temper, and they presented it as if it were the whole picture. We know the truth and the full story. And Avra's family also knows the truth," she continued.
"You created a role that was available only for the families of kidnapped soldiers, by demanding that the system, contrary to what is generally customary and accepted, give Mangisto's family the same treatment and give them all the assistance they needed. On top of all that, we also love you, continue to support you and hope that the media, which once again carried out a lynch without hesitation, will take responsibility, at least present the correct facts in the proper context and avoid doing injustice to a man whose entire life was and will be devoted to the state."
Mrs. Lotan continued defending her husbanb saying that "Channel 10 presented him yesterday in a difficult moment, which he knew was unnecessary and irrelevant, he immediately called Yalu, Avra's brother, with whom he was in close contact throughout the year and he apologized to him. Contrary to what was presented, it was not the first time that Lior met with the family, it was the seventh or eighth time he met with them during the last year.
"When he lost his patience that was because there were people who are not family members. They asked him to explain everything from the beginning and therefore it sounds like he was updating them for the first time, but this is obviously not true."
On Thursday Channel 10 aired a recording of the dramatic conversation between Lotan and the family. Lotan also warned the family against documenting the meeting saying, "This is unacceptable. Meetings with me don't get documented."
Mangisto's brother can be heard in the recording trying to interject, but Lotan stopped him, saying, "Don't get into these things with me please, I'm an older man than you. Decide what you want -- to work together or make a scene and manipulate us."
Avraham Mangisto, 29 years old from Ashkelon, went in the early hours of September 8, 2014, and was seen crossing the border into Gaza out of his own volition.
This came after Israeli authorities admitted that two Israelis and two dead soldiers are being held captive by Hamas in the blockaded Gaza Strip, including one who was captured in September after he sneaked over the border fence for unknown reasons.
The Israeli media strongly criticized their government for not dealing with hostage issues before.
A gag order was lifted on Thursday that prevented publication of the details of the Mengistu case as well as the details of missing Israeli-Beduin who is also missing in Gaza, Jerusalem post said.
Harrestz Hebrew newspaper for its part pointed out that Israeli cabinet and head of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee were not aware of the matter.
The Israeli media outlets quoted the missing Israeli Bedouin’s father as saying that “nobody told me he was in Gaza.”
Jerusalem post added that the whole affair "smells of racism."
The family of the missing man attacked the Netanyaho for not talking to them or replying to their letters. "This is anti-Blackism. If [our sone] were white, there would be a different reaction," the family said.
PM visits Mangisto family amid claims of racism
Netanyahu assures family of Ethiopian Israeli held in Gaza that 'Israel will do everything' to bring him back home; Lior Lotan apologizes for threats to family.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emerged from a half-hour meeting Friday afternoon with the Mangisto family, saying that "Israel will do everything" to return their son to Israel.
Netanyahu added that, "We are dealing with a cruel organization and we will not sit back. We are in contact with the Mangisto family and the family of the other Israeli."
Netanyahu's insistence that Israel would take action to return the Israelis came after a 10-month-long gag order was lifted on the case and Israeli security officials said that a prisoner swap was not on the table for discussion. The case has provoked claims of racism on the part of the government for keeping Mangisto, an Ethiopian, and his case secret for so long.
Mangisto reportedly has mental health issues and it is not clear if he intentionally entered Gaza or did so by mistake as his family claims. The other Israeli mentioned by Netanyahu is an unidentified Arab citizen with a similar history of mental illness who also apparently entered Gaza of his own free will several months ago.
The family said that Netanyahu shared all of the information currently known regarding Avraham and his whereabouts.
Lior Lotan, the prime minister's envoy on hostages and missing persons, also visted the family on Friday afternoon and apologized for threatening them not to publically criticize the government in its handling of the case.
"The things that were said don't reflect the way I work, my values or my way of thinking. I feel a deep need to apologize to the family."
The representative also said that his threats, which were first revealed in a recording aired on Channel 10, did not reflect the opinions of Netanyahu. "I want to promise the family today that I will continue acting all the time, in every way with the family and the entire State system in order to complete the mission and quickly return Avraham to his home and family in good health."
The Mangisto family told Netanyahu during his visit Friday that they were sorry the recording of their meeting with Lotan had been released to the press.
Lotan quickly found himself in hot water on Thursday when it was revealed that he warned the Mangisto family against publicly making a connection between Mangisto's Ethiopian ancestry and the government's handling of the case, telling them that such actions would keep their son "in Gaza for another year." The meeting was held just before a 10-month-old gag order was lifted on the case of their missing son.
Lotan already apologized on Thursday night for his remarks to the family saying, "The good relationship we created during the past months will continue and we will work together until Avra returns home. I will continue to work voluntarily to return our captured and missing soldiers and civilians."
"It's good that Lior spoke with the family members and apologized to them," said Netanyahu on Thursday. "Lior works day and night voluntarily to return our missing soldiers and civilians."
In addition to the two civilians, Hamas also holds two bodies of IDF soldiers killed during Operation Protective Edge in 2014.
PM's envoy apologizes to missing man's family following leaked recording
Prime minister postpones meeting with relatives of Avraham Mangisto, missing in Gaza, after tape released of representative warning them to avoid public criticism.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has postponed a meeting scheduled for Friday with the family of missing Israeli Avraham Mangisto, after a recording was released in which a government envoy warned the relatives to refrain from public criticism.
Lior Lotan, the prime minister's envoy on hostages and missing persons, apologized Thursday for the tape, in which he was heard saying that publicly making a connection between Mangisto's Ethiopian ancestry and the government's handling of the case would "keep him in Gaza for another year."
"The good relationship we created during the past months will continue and we will work together until Avra returns home," said Lotan. "I will continue to work voluntarily to return our captured and missing soldiers and civilians."
"It's good that Lior spoke with the family members and apologized to them," said the prime minister. "Lior works day and night voluntarily to return our missing soldiers and civilians."
Shlomit Lotan, Lior's wife, posted on Facebook Friday morning an extensive defense of her husband and an attack on the media. "True, they broadcast one of many meetings that he held with the family, which was in this case very charged, and during which people got worked up unnecessarily, but it was not racism, and there were no threats. They broadcasted one minute of obstinacy, for which he apologized to the family.
"They caught him in a moment when he lost his temper, and they presented it as if it were the whole picture. We know the truth and the full story. And Avra's family also knows the truth," she continued.
"You created a role that was available only for the families of kidnapped soldiers, by demanding that the system, contrary to what is generally customary and accepted, give Mangisto's family the same treatment and give them all the assistance they needed. On top of all that, we also love you, continue to support you and hope that the media, which once again carried out a lynch without hesitation, will take responsibility, at least present the correct facts in the proper context and avoid doing injustice to a man whose entire life was and will be devoted to the state."
Mrs. Lotan continued defending her husbanb saying that "Channel 10 presented him yesterday in a difficult moment, which he knew was unnecessary and irrelevant, he immediately called Yalu, Avra's brother, with whom he was in close contact throughout the year and he apologized to him. Contrary to what was presented, it was not the first time that Lior met with the family, it was the seventh or eighth time he met with them during the last year.
"When he lost his patience that was because there were people who are not family members. They asked him to explain everything from the beginning and therefore it sounds like he was updating them for the first time, but this is obviously not true."
On Thursday Channel 10 aired a recording of the dramatic conversation between Lotan and the family. Lotan also warned the family against documenting the meeting saying, "This is unacceptable. Meetings with me don't get documented."
Mangisto's brother can be heard in the recording trying to interject, but Lotan stopped him, saying, "Don't get into these things with me please, I'm an older man than you. Decide what you want -- to work together or make a scene and manipulate us."
Avraham Mangisto, 29 years old from Ashkelon, went in the early hours of September 8, 2014, and was seen crossing the border into Gaza out of his own volition.
Hamas says no talks about prisoner swap before Israel releases freed Palestinian prisoners it re-arrested.
Israeli security officials said Thursday night that Israel will not release Hamas prisoners in return for two Israelis who are held in Gaza.
Israel has in the past engaged in prisoner swaps with Hamas, most notably in 2011, when Gilad Shalit, a soldier abducted by militants in a cross-border raid in 2006, was released in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Dozens of those ex-prisoners have been rounded up by Israel since, outraging Hamas, which signaled that until they were freed again it would refuse to respond to Thursday's charge that it was holding two Israeli captives.
"There will be no talk about a prisoner swap before Israel releases all Palestinians who were re-arrested in the West Bank after they had been freed in the 2011 Shalit deal," Mahmoud al-Zahar, a top Hamas official, told Reuters.
Israel is separately seeking the return of the remains of two soldiers killed during last year's war with Hamas.
Avraham Mangisto, 29 years old from Ashkelon, has gone missing in the early hours of September 8, 2014, when he crossed the border into Gaza out of his own volition. A second citizen, a Bedouin resident of the south, has also crossed the border into the Strip, also of his own accord, in April 2015. The young Bedouin is said to be mentally ill, and has tried to cross into Gaza in the past. Mangisto was seen walking on the beach, heading south. He reached the Zikim beach area, and continued walking south until he crossed an electric fence that divides Israel from Gaza, which starts on the beach and continues into the water.
An IDF lookout identified suspicious movement and pointed the observation camera at Mangisto's direction. At this point, Mangisto touched the electric fence, which set off an alarm with troops from the IDF Gaza Division's northern brigade. The army lookouts sent a patrol unit to the area, but Mangisto managed to jump over the fence and cross into Gaza before the troops got there. The troops fired in the air as a warning sign, and called on Mangisto to return to Israel, but he ignored them.
He then moved away from the fence and started moving south. When he got to the Gazan shore, he joined a local group of fishermen and has not been seen since.
The troops also called in the bomb squad to check Mangisto's bag, which he left on the beach, out of concern it was booby-trapped. The bag was later returned to Mangisto's family.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's representative, Lior Lotan, met with the family and told them of a video that documents Mangisto crossing the border. "You see in the video that there's a wall with a fence over, and Avra get there and tries to pass on the left and right. At this point, a military force was called to the scene. In the end, he finds a spot, and climbs over the barbed wire, it takes him five minutes.
Meanwhile troops arrive and call at him and even fire in the air but they don't have orders to kill people who try to leave Israel to Gaza.
They also didn't think it's a security incident because his bag was left on our side. They brought a bomb squad, which shot the bag with a robot and only after they saw there are no explosives, saw a Bible, saw Avra's name, saw he was a Jew, they realized there's a Jew here who crossed the border."
IDF doesn't stop people going into Gaza
Mangisto crossed the border only two weeks after the end of Operation Protective Edge. During that time, there was still a lot of commotion around the Gaza Strip, with a lot of troops still in the area. Mangisto was able to cross the border because of this commotion, which also included the movement of a lot of civilians.
Along the Gaza border fence, the IDF's radars, observation cameras and troops are all pointed south or west - towards the Strip, and not towards Israel. That is why any civilian who wants to cross into Gaza can do so in only a minute or two of climbing the fence.
The IDF also does not impose any limits to Israelis in that area, which allows Israelis to bath at the Zikim beach, hike through Be'eri Forest and farm nearby lands - all of this almost to the border fence. The only spot to which troops are called is to a road adjacent to the border fence.
The IDF has stopped dozens of unarmed Palestinians crossing from Gaza into Israel in that area. An IDF investigation of the incident found the troops acted as expected of them. Over the past ten months, four petitions were filed at the Ashkelon Magistrate's Court in an attempt to lift the gag order over Mangisto's disappearance.
The state objected every time, and won the court's support. A senior security source said that the gag order was filed by security officials. "One of the considerations was to allow a faster action with better chances to bring Mangisto back.... the order's different extensions were done in coordination and at the request of the family, with the understanding that this gives to the process a better chance."
Israeli security officials said Thursday night that Israel will not release Hamas prisoners in return for two Israelis who are held in Gaza.
Israel has in the past engaged in prisoner swaps with Hamas, most notably in 2011, when Gilad Shalit, a soldier abducted by militants in a cross-border raid in 2006, was released in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Dozens of those ex-prisoners have been rounded up by Israel since, outraging Hamas, which signaled that until they were freed again it would refuse to respond to Thursday's charge that it was holding two Israeli captives.
"There will be no talk about a prisoner swap before Israel releases all Palestinians who were re-arrested in the West Bank after they had been freed in the 2011 Shalit deal," Mahmoud al-Zahar, a top Hamas official, told Reuters.
Israel is separately seeking the return of the remains of two soldiers killed during last year's war with Hamas.
Avraham Mangisto, 29 years old from Ashkelon, has gone missing in the early hours of September 8, 2014, when he crossed the border into Gaza out of his own volition. A second citizen, a Bedouin resident of the south, has also crossed the border into the Strip, also of his own accord, in April 2015. The young Bedouin is said to be mentally ill, and has tried to cross into Gaza in the past. Mangisto was seen walking on the beach, heading south. He reached the Zikim beach area, and continued walking south until he crossed an electric fence that divides Israel from Gaza, which starts on the beach and continues into the water.
An IDF lookout identified suspicious movement and pointed the observation camera at Mangisto's direction. At this point, Mangisto touched the electric fence, which set off an alarm with troops from the IDF Gaza Division's northern brigade. The army lookouts sent a patrol unit to the area, but Mangisto managed to jump over the fence and cross into Gaza before the troops got there. The troops fired in the air as a warning sign, and called on Mangisto to return to Israel, but he ignored them.
He then moved away from the fence and started moving south. When he got to the Gazan shore, he joined a local group of fishermen and has not been seen since.
The troops also called in the bomb squad to check Mangisto's bag, which he left on the beach, out of concern it was booby-trapped. The bag was later returned to Mangisto's family.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's representative, Lior Lotan, met with the family and told them of a video that documents Mangisto crossing the border. "You see in the video that there's a wall with a fence over, and Avra get there and tries to pass on the left and right. At this point, a military force was called to the scene. In the end, he finds a spot, and climbs over the barbed wire, it takes him five minutes.
Meanwhile troops arrive and call at him and even fire in the air but they don't have orders to kill people who try to leave Israel to Gaza.
They also didn't think it's a security incident because his bag was left on our side. They brought a bomb squad, which shot the bag with a robot and only after they saw there are no explosives, saw a Bible, saw Avra's name, saw he was a Jew, they realized there's a Jew here who crossed the border."
IDF doesn't stop people going into Gaza
Mangisto crossed the border only two weeks after the end of Operation Protective Edge. During that time, there was still a lot of commotion around the Gaza Strip, with a lot of troops still in the area. Mangisto was able to cross the border because of this commotion, which also included the movement of a lot of civilians.
Along the Gaza border fence, the IDF's radars, observation cameras and troops are all pointed south or west - towards the Strip, and not towards Israel. That is why any civilian who wants to cross into Gaza can do so in only a minute or two of climbing the fence.
The IDF also does not impose any limits to Israelis in that area, which allows Israelis to bath at the Zikim beach, hike through Be'eri Forest and farm nearby lands - all of this almost to the border fence. The only spot to which troops are called is to a road adjacent to the border fence.
The IDF has stopped dozens of unarmed Palestinians crossing from Gaza into Israel in that area. An IDF investigation of the incident found the troops acted as expected of them. Over the past ten months, four petitions were filed at the Ashkelon Magistrate's Court in an attempt to lift the gag order over Mangisto's disappearance.
The state objected every time, and won the court's support. A senior security source said that the gag order was filed by security officials. "One of the considerations was to allow a faster action with better chances to bring Mangisto back.... the order's different extensions were done in coordination and at the request of the family, with the understanding that this gives to the process a better chance."
9 july 2015
Gaza terror group accuses Israel of racism, tweeting 'The real Israeli motto is: leave no Ashkenazi behind'.
Hamas has refused to confirm or deny Israel's claim that it was holding two Israeli citizens captive, but had no problem to take a jab at the Israeli government and accusing it of racism in a tweet on Thursday.
"Obviously, the real Israeli motto is 'leave no Ashkenazi man behind,'" one of Hamas' Twitter accounts posted, seemingly pointing to the great public efforts Israel made to release IDF soldier Gilad Shalit from Hamas captivity, while the fact Avraham Mangisto from Ashkelon went into the Gaza Strip ten months ago was so far known only among the Ethiopian community.
At first, the leaders of the Israeli Ethiopians' protest decided to keep quiet about Mangisto so as to not sabotage efforts to secure his release, but during the last demonstration, some protesters were seen wearing shirts with his name. "We wanted to lay the groundwork gradually before the release to the media," protest leaders told Ynet.
Even this morning, after the gag order was lifted and the news of Mangistro's disappearance into Gaza became public, the leaders of the Israeli Ethiopians' protest chose not to comment, honoring a request from the family.
They said that at first, authorities were slow to deal with Mangisto's disappearance and the family received updates on the situation only from junior officials. Even though the protest's leaders decided not to publicly address the story, there has been continuous chatter on the Ethiopian community's Facebook pages about it.
"This story is being silenced because he's black and it's not interesting," one person wrote. "If I cross the border into hostile territory and my army identifies me but doesn't stop me because I'm black - meaning, looks like an Eritrean - does this make it racism?" another wondered.
Hamas has refused to confirm or deny Israel's claim that it was holding two Israeli citizens captive, but had no problem to take a jab at the Israeli government and accusing it of racism in a tweet on Thursday.
"Obviously, the real Israeli motto is 'leave no Ashkenazi man behind,'" one of Hamas' Twitter accounts posted, seemingly pointing to the great public efforts Israel made to release IDF soldier Gilad Shalit from Hamas captivity, while the fact Avraham Mangisto from Ashkelon went into the Gaza Strip ten months ago was so far known only among the Ethiopian community.
At first, the leaders of the Israeli Ethiopians' protest decided to keep quiet about Mangisto so as to not sabotage efforts to secure his release, but during the last demonstration, some protesters were seen wearing shirts with his name. "We wanted to lay the groundwork gradually before the release to the media," protest leaders told Ynet.
Even this morning, after the gag order was lifted and the news of Mangistro's disappearance into Gaza became public, the leaders of the Israeli Ethiopians' protest chose not to comment, honoring a request from the family.
They said that at first, authorities were slow to deal with Mangisto's disappearance and the family received updates on the situation only from junior officials. Even though the protest's leaders decided not to publicly address the story, there has been continuous chatter on the Ethiopian community's Facebook pages about it.
"This story is being silenced because he's black and it's not interesting," one person wrote. "If I cross the border into hostile territory and my army identifies me but doesn't stop me because I'm black - meaning, looks like an Eritrean - does this make it racism?" another wondered.
T-shirt worn by Israeli Ethiopian protesters with the writing 'Avra Mangisto?'
Over the past few days, many Israeli Ethiopians changed their profile pictures on social media to a photo showing Mangisto's name, with a question mark.
Former MK Pnina Tamano-Shata, who has been accompanying the family, said on Thursday that she was contacted by Mangisto's brother shortly after Avraham crossed the border into Gaza. "His brother contacted me on Facebook and asked for my help. Since then, we've met several times and I realize there's a very complicated situation here," she said. Tamano-Shata added that she accompanied the family to their meeting with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon.
Israel has in the past engaged in prisoner swaps with Hamas, most notably in 2011, when Gilad Shalit, a soldier abducted by militants in a cross-border raid in 2006, was released in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Dozens of those ex-prisoners have been rounded up by Israel since, outraging Hamas, which signaled that until they were freed again it would refuse to respond to Thursday's charge that it was holding two Israeli captives.
Israel is separately seeking the return of the remains of two soldiers killed during last year's war with Hamas. "There will be no talk about a prisoner swap before Israel releases all Palestinians who were re-arrested in the West Bank after they had been freed in the 2011 Shalit deal," Mahmoud al-Zahar, a top Hamas official, told Reuters.
Over the past few days, many Israeli Ethiopians changed their profile pictures on social media to a photo showing Mangisto's name, with a question mark.
Former MK Pnina Tamano-Shata, who has been accompanying the family, said on Thursday that she was contacted by Mangisto's brother shortly after Avraham crossed the border into Gaza. "His brother contacted me on Facebook and asked for my help. Since then, we've met several times and I realize there's a very complicated situation here," she said. Tamano-Shata added that she accompanied the family to their meeting with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon.
Israel has in the past engaged in prisoner swaps with Hamas, most notably in 2011, when Gilad Shalit, a soldier abducted by militants in a cross-border raid in 2006, was released in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Dozens of those ex-prisoners have been rounded up by Israel since, outraging Hamas, which signaled that until they were freed again it would refuse to respond to Thursday's charge that it was holding two Israeli captives.
Israel is separately seeking the return of the remains of two soldiers killed during last year's war with Hamas. "There will be no talk about a prisoner swap before Israel releases all Palestinians who were re-arrested in the West Bank after they had been freed in the 2011 Shalit deal," Mahmoud al-Zahar, a top Hamas official, told Reuters.
Channel 10 report reveals recording of Netanyahu representative threatening family of missing Israeli while ministers say they were never updated on the situation.
Lior Lotan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's representative, warned the family of missing Israeli Avraham Mangisto against public criticism of Netanyhu, as such actions would "keep him in Gaza for another year," a Channel 10 report revealed on Thursday.
Channel 10 aired a recording of the dramatic conversation between Lotan and the family. "Whoever connects Avra with the story between the Ethiopian community and the State of Israel will leave him in Gaza for another year," said Lotan referrencing recent protests led by Ethiopian-Israelis against racism.
Lotan also warned the family against documenting the meeting saying, "This is unacceptable. Meetings with me don't get documented." Mangisto's brother can be heard in the recording trying to interject, but Lotan stopped him, saying, "Don't get into these things with me please, I'm an older man than you. Decide what you want - to work together or make a scene and manipulate us."
Several hours after the lifting of the gag order on Thursday, it is becoming more and more apparent that the ministers in the Security Cabinet and the members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee were not officially briefed about the disappearance of two Israelis in the Gaza Strip.
Avraham Mangisto, 29 years old from Ashkelon, has gone missing in the early hours of September 8, 2014, and was seen crossing the border into Gaza out of his own volition. A second citizen, a Bedouin resident of the south, has also crossed the border into the Strip, also of his own accord, several months later.
"Even as a minister and a member of cabinet, we were not briefed on the story," said Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman, who served as a foreign minister in the first two months after the two Israelis crossed the border into Gaza.
"Even I ask myself how come we weren't updated," another minister said.
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Likud MK Tzachi Hanegbi, said on the radio on Thursday, "You'd be surprised, I had no idea. I really was surprised. I read about it on Ynet this morning. I called the director of the committee and asked him if the committee heard a report about this and he told me that at the time during a report from the Shin Bet, there was something that was presented as minor, and he hasn't heard about it since."
Another minister, who is well-versed in highly-sensitive issues, said some of the members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee were updated on the incident, but even that happened after they came by the story independently and sought explanations. Former minister Yaakov Peri told Ynet he first learned of the story from his former Yesh Atid faction member Pnina Tamano-Shata.
"About a month after he disappeared, my fellow faction member Pnina Tamano-Shata turned to me, telling me he disappeared and that the family knew he went to Gaza. I asked around and it turned out to be true. For reasons I won't elaborate on, the State of Israel decided not to let it be published," Peri said.
Officials in the Prime Minister's Office said in response: "Since this is an issue that did not require a cabinet decision, the cabinet ministers were not updated."
Lior Lotan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's representative, warned the family of missing Israeli Avraham Mangisto against public criticism of Netanyhu, as such actions would "keep him in Gaza for another year," a Channel 10 report revealed on Thursday.
Channel 10 aired a recording of the dramatic conversation between Lotan and the family. "Whoever connects Avra with the story between the Ethiopian community and the State of Israel will leave him in Gaza for another year," said Lotan referrencing recent protests led by Ethiopian-Israelis against racism.
Lotan also warned the family against documenting the meeting saying, "This is unacceptable. Meetings with me don't get documented." Mangisto's brother can be heard in the recording trying to interject, but Lotan stopped him, saying, "Don't get into these things with me please, I'm an older man than you. Decide what you want - to work together or make a scene and manipulate us."
Several hours after the lifting of the gag order on Thursday, it is becoming more and more apparent that the ministers in the Security Cabinet and the members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee were not officially briefed about the disappearance of two Israelis in the Gaza Strip.
Avraham Mangisto, 29 years old from Ashkelon, has gone missing in the early hours of September 8, 2014, and was seen crossing the border into Gaza out of his own volition. A second citizen, a Bedouin resident of the south, has also crossed the border into the Strip, also of his own accord, several months later.
"Even as a minister and a member of cabinet, we were not briefed on the story," said Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman, who served as a foreign minister in the first two months after the two Israelis crossed the border into Gaza.
"Even I ask myself how come we weren't updated," another minister said.
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Likud MK Tzachi Hanegbi, said on the radio on Thursday, "You'd be surprised, I had no idea. I really was surprised. I read about it on Ynet this morning. I called the director of the committee and asked him if the committee heard a report about this and he told me that at the time during a report from the Shin Bet, there was something that was presented as minor, and he hasn't heard about it since."
Another minister, who is well-versed in highly-sensitive issues, said some of the members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee were updated on the incident, but even that happened after they came by the story independently and sought explanations. Former minister Yaakov Peri told Ynet he first learned of the story from his former Yesh Atid faction member Pnina Tamano-Shata.
"About a month after he disappeared, my fellow faction member Pnina Tamano-Shata turned to me, telling me he disappeared and that the family knew he went to Gaza. I asked around and it turned out to be true. For reasons I won't elaborate on, the State of Israel decided not to let it be published," Peri said.
Officials in the Prime Minister's Office said in response: "Since this is an issue that did not require a cabinet decision, the cabinet ministers were not updated."
Family says second missing Israeli disappeared in April, and that they did not know he was in Gaza until now.
The family of the Bedouin Israeli who is believed to be in Gaza was surprised on Thursday to learn that he was in the Strip. "We didn't have information on where our son was. We were surprised of the claim he was in Gaza," the man's father said.
The young Bedouin entered the Gaza Strip several months after Avraham Mangisto from Ashkelon, who wandered into Gaza through the beach. "We're waiting for the situation to clear up, it's possible this is about someone else," the father added.
The family says the man is mentally ill. They said he has not made contact with them since April and that they did not know whether he was dead or alive.
"From what we hear, my son is still alive," the father said. "He disappears a lot but usually comes back after 24 hours. This is the first time he's been missing for such a long time."
"If he's in Gaza then this is new information that at least lets us know where he is," he went on to say. "Before that, we didn't know anything. Now we're waiting until we know for sure and confirm the things that were published."
The father said the family has been looking for their son for months and has been waiting for new developments. "If he's being held by Hamas, then we would like to turn to them and ask them to release him because he was not aware of what he was doing," he said. "It's still hard for us to comprehend what happened. We're all worried, and won't calm down until we know if he's alive or dead."
Hamas leader Khaled Mashal claimed Wednesday that Israel has been sending messages to the group through a European intermediary, asking the organization to return the bodies of two soldiers in their possession since Operation Protective Edge - Staff Sergeant Oron Shaul and Sec.-Lit. Hadar Goldin - as well as two additional Israelis. Israel has yet to comment on the missing Bedouin, who is believed in the in Gaza.
The second Israeli believed to be in Hamas hands is Avraham Mangisto, 29 years old from Ashkelon, has gone missing in the early hours of September 8, 2014, and was seen crossing the border into Gaza out of his own volition. Hamas denies having Mangisto, with a Palestinian source telling Ynet Mangisto was questioned and released when the organization learned he was not a soldier.
The family of the Bedouin Israeli who is believed to be in Gaza was surprised on Thursday to learn that he was in the Strip. "We didn't have information on where our son was. We were surprised of the claim he was in Gaza," the man's father said.
The young Bedouin entered the Gaza Strip several months after Avraham Mangisto from Ashkelon, who wandered into Gaza through the beach. "We're waiting for the situation to clear up, it's possible this is about someone else," the father added.
The family says the man is mentally ill. They said he has not made contact with them since April and that they did not know whether he was dead or alive.
"From what we hear, my son is still alive," the father said. "He disappears a lot but usually comes back after 24 hours. This is the first time he's been missing for such a long time."
"If he's in Gaza then this is new information that at least lets us know where he is," he went on to say. "Before that, we didn't know anything. Now we're waiting until we know for sure and confirm the things that were published."
The father said the family has been looking for their son for months and has been waiting for new developments. "If he's being held by Hamas, then we would like to turn to them and ask them to release him because he was not aware of what he was doing," he said. "It's still hard for us to comprehend what happened. We're all worried, and won't calm down until we know if he's alive or dead."
Hamas leader Khaled Mashal claimed Wednesday that Israel has been sending messages to the group through a European intermediary, asking the organization to return the bodies of two soldiers in their possession since Operation Protective Edge - Staff Sergeant Oron Shaul and Sec.-Lit. Hadar Goldin - as well as two additional Israelis. Israel has yet to comment on the missing Bedouin, who is believed in the in Gaza.
The second Israeli believed to be in Hamas hands is Avraham Mangisto, 29 years old from Ashkelon, has gone missing in the early hours of September 8, 2014, and was seen crossing the border into Gaza out of his own volition. Hamas denies having Mangisto, with a Palestinian source telling Ynet Mangisto was questioned and released when the organization learned he was not a soldier.
Prime minister says Israel views Hamas as responsible for well being of Avraham Mangisto and second Israeli who have gone missing and believed to be in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel is sparing no efforts in returning the two Israelis held by Hamas in Gaza.
Avraham Mangisto was seen crossing the border into the Gaza Strip 10 months ago and has since been missing. A second Israeli, a Bedouin resident of the south, is also reported missing. Netanyahu spoke to Mangisto's family on Wednesday, and said he plans to meet with them soon. "I told them that since the moment the incident became known, we have not spared any efforts in returning him to Israel," he said.
"We're working to return the two Israelis who crossed the border fence into Gaza. We view Hamas as responsible for their wellbeing," the prime minister continued. "I appointed a representative to coordinate all of the activity on the issue on my behalf and the communication with the families. I expect the international community, which has expressed its concern of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, to come out with a clear call to release the civilians and ensure their return."
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said that "the State of Israel is making great efforts to return them to their families. We view Hamas as responsible for them and demand their return." Ya'alon said he met with Mangisto's family to update them on Israeli efforts to bring him back.
"We're also in contact with the family of the second Israel being held in the Strip and update them on any developments," he said. Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman, who served as a foreign minister in the first two months after the two Israelis crossed the border into Gaza, added: "Even as a minister and a member of cabinet, we were not briefed on the story. I'm concerned that the lessons from previous cases have not been learned. Since the Jibril deal we've been paying high and unreasonable prices."
"This is a humanitarian issue, and we expect those holding him to behave accordingly and return him in good health," President Reuven Rivlin said about the missing men. "According to the information which has arisen, Mangisto is being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. We will continue to make every effort in order to bring an end to this incident, as soon as possible."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel is sparing no efforts in returning the two Israelis held by Hamas in Gaza.
Avraham Mangisto was seen crossing the border into the Gaza Strip 10 months ago and has since been missing. A second Israeli, a Bedouin resident of the south, is also reported missing. Netanyahu spoke to Mangisto's family on Wednesday, and said he plans to meet with them soon. "I told them that since the moment the incident became known, we have not spared any efforts in returning him to Israel," he said.
"We're working to return the two Israelis who crossed the border fence into Gaza. We view Hamas as responsible for their wellbeing," the prime minister continued. "I appointed a representative to coordinate all of the activity on the issue on my behalf and the communication with the families. I expect the international community, which has expressed its concern of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, to come out with a clear call to release the civilians and ensure their return."
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said that "the State of Israel is making great efforts to return them to their families. We view Hamas as responsible for them and demand their return." Ya'alon said he met with Mangisto's family to update them on Israeli efforts to bring him back.
"We're also in contact with the family of the second Israel being held in the Strip and update them on any developments," he said. Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman, who served as a foreign minister in the first two months after the two Israelis crossed the border into Gaza, added: "Even as a minister and a member of cabinet, we were not briefed on the story. I'm concerned that the lessons from previous cases have not been learned. Since the Jibril deal we've been paying high and unreasonable prices."
"This is a humanitarian issue, and we expect those holding him to behave accordingly and return him in good health," President Reuven Rivlin said about the missing men. "According to the information which has arisen, Mangisto is being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. We will continue to make every effort in order to bring an end to this incident, as soon as possible."
Avera Mengistu reportedly jumped the Erez fence into Gaza through this route; his whereabouts remain unknown.
Israeli court’s lifting of a gag order today, concerning the disappearance of two Israeli citizens in Gaza, sheds some light on recent diplomatic attempts between Hamas and Israel, who have reportedly been holding indirect talks for months.
An Israeli of Ethiopian origin, Avera Mengistu, 28, was taken into Hamas custody 10 months ago when he disappeared into Gaza by jumping the Erez border fence. Less is known about the second citizen, a Palestinian Arab with Israeli citizenship who crossed into Gaza in April. The working assumption of Israeli officials is that both are being held by Hamas, but Mengistu’s whereabouts are unknown, Haaretz reports.
Mixed reports are emerging regarding Mengistu’s fate, and it remains unknown whether he is presently in Hamas custody, or if he was released through tunnels leading to Egypt shortly after Hamas confirmed he was not a soldier.
Hamas is also holding the bodies of two soldiers killed in Operation Protective Edge last year, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin. On Wednesday Haaretz confirmed that Israel has approached Hamas about discussing the return of the bodies, which Hamas subsequently refused to negotiate without a guarantee on the release of some 70 prisoners arrested in raids preceding the 2014 Gaza war. These prisoners were re-arrested during last summer’s hostilities despite having originally been released in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange.
Israel set a precedent for negotiating with Hamas in 2011, following an agreement with Hamas to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 prisoners held in Israeli detention.
That historic instance is a reliable indicator that the possible detention of two Israeli citizens, in addition to retaining the soldier’s bodies, constitutes a significant bargaining chip for Hamas in the ceasefire talks. Previously the announcement of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel was accompanied by minimal information and would have seemed a tabloid fabrication at best, had it not been for the confirmation from anonymous sources on both sides. The lifting of the Israeli gag order and subsequent revelation of Israeli citizens in Hamas custody provides context for these negotiations to be set in motion.
Avera Mengistu’s fate poses a potential threat to negotiations, as his whereabouts remain unknown with Hamas claiming he was released months ago.
An Israeli official told Haaretz that these claims are “intentional and organized lies”.
“[Hamas is] responsible for his fate,” the official said. He added that Hamas had kept the affair under wraps for two reasons: either to use him for negotiating purposes, or, “because something grave happened while he was being held”.
“If Hamas saw him as a bargaining chip, today’s publication will have a positive effect,” the official told Haaretz. “If the explosion of this affair leads to dialogue with Hamas on the matter, that would mean progress, as Hamas is hiding the truth.”
Information regarding the Arab with Israeli citizenship, confirmed in custody, remains under Israeli court gag order.
Israeli court’s lifting of a gag order today, concerning the disappearance of two Israeli citizens in Gaza, sheds some light on recent diplomatic attempts between Hamas and Israel, who have reportedly been holding indirect talks for months.
An Israeli of Ethiopian origin, Avera Mengistu, 28, was taken into Hamas custody 10 months ago when he disappeared into Gaza by jumping the Erez border fence. Less is known about the second citizen, a Palestinian Arab with Israeli citizenship who crossed into Gaza in April. The working assumption of Israeli officials is that both are being held by Hamas, but Mengistu’s whereabouts are unknown, Haaretz reports.
Mixed reports are emerging regarding Mengistu’s fate, and it remains unknown whether he is presently in Hamas custody, or if he was released through tunnels leading to Egypt shortly after Hamas confirmed he was not a soldier.
Hamas is also holding the bodies of two soldiers killed in Operation Protective Edge last year, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin. On Wednesday Haaretz confirmed that Israel has approached Hamas about discussing the return of the bodies, which Hamas subsequently refused to negotiate without a guarantee on the release of some 70 prisoners arrested in raids preceding the 2014 Gaza war. These prisoners were re-arrested during last summer’s hostilities despite having originally been released in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange.
Israel set a precedent for negotiating with Hamas in 2011, following an agreement with Hamas to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 prisoners held in Israeli detention.
That historic instance is a reliable indicator that the possible detention of two Israeli citizens, in addition to retaining the soldier’s bodies, constitutes a significant bargaining chip for Hamas in the ceasefire talks. Previously the announcement of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel was accompanied by minimal information and would have seemed a tabloid fabrication at best, had it not been for the confirmation from anonymous sources on both sides. The lifting of the Israeli gag order and subsequent revelation of Israeli citizens in Hamas custody provides context for these negotiations to be set in motion.
Avera Mengistu’s fate poses a potential threat to negotiations, as his whereabouts remain unknown with Hamas claiming he was released months ago.
An Israeli official told Haaretz that these claims are “intentional and organized lies”.
“[Hamas is] responsible for his fate,” the official said. He added that Hamas had kept the affair under wraps for two reasons: either to use him for negotiating purposes, or, “because something grave happened while he was being held”.
“If Hamas saw him as a bargaining chip, today’s publication will have a positive effect,” the official told Haaretz. “If the explosion of this affair leads to dialogue with Hamas on the matter, that would mean progress, as Hamas is hiding the truth.”
Information regarding the Arab with Israeli citizenship, confirmed in custody, remains under Israeli court gag order.
“Intensive” efforts have been made to stabilize the ceasefire between Israeli occupation forces and Palestinian resistance in return for lifting the siege on Gaza, establishing a seaport and an airport, and implementing Gaza reconstruction, senior leader in Hamas Movement Salah Bardawil revealed.
Speaking to Quds Press on Thursday, Bardawil denied reports claiming new ceasefire talks or political negotiations were underway.
There are no new ceasefire talks; however, there are ongoing efforts to stabilize the ceasefire reached in Cairo agreement a year ago, he said.
Bardawil also denied the link between the ceasefire talks and any future prisoners exchange deal.
He stressed the importance of releasing the 53 ex-detainees, who were released as part of Wafa al-Ahrar (Shalit) swap deal, and were then rearrested last summer, before talking about any future prisoner exchange deal.
Israeli TV Channel 2 earlier revealed that Israeli authorities had appointed Lior Lotan at the head of a committee entrusted with negotiations for the return of the Israeli soldiers captured by Hamas.
The appointment came after Israeli Security Services admitted that two Israelis and two dead soldiers are being held captive by Hamas in the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Speaking to Quds Press on Thursday, Bardawil denied reports claiming new ceasefire talks or political negotiations were underway.
There are no new ceasefire talks; however, there are ongoing efforts to stabilize the ceasefire reached in Cairo agreement a year ago, he said.
Bardawil also denied the link between the ceasefire talks and any future prisoners exchange deal.
He stressed the importance of releasing the 53 ex-detainees, who were released as part of Wafa al-Ahrar (Shalit) swap deal, and were then rearrested last summer, before talking about any future prisoner exchange deal.
Israeli TV Channel 2 earlier revealed that Israeli authorities had appointed Lior Lotan at the head of a committee entrusted with negotiations for the return of the Israeli soldiers captured by Hamas.
The appointment came after Israeli Security Services admitted that two Israelis and two dead soldiers are being held captive by Hamas in the blockaded Gaza Strip.
An Israeli legislation calling for a mandatory life sentence for kidnappers of occupation soldiers passed a preliminary vote in the Knesset Wednesday.
Israeli media outlets said a bill requesting that kidnappers of Israeli soldiers be sentenced with life in prison passed its preliminary reading in the Knesset, with a majority of MKs voting in favor.
The bill is due to be forwarded for approval in its second and third readings pending ultimate finalization.
The legislation pushed for imprisoning kidnappers of Israeli soldiers to life and also for banning their release in whatever swap deal expected to be struck with the captors.
The bill was proposed in light of the reported abduction of Israeli soldiers by Hamas resistance fighters. A state of frenzy has overwhelmed Israeli officials in an attempt to snuff out the flames of the rage fanned by such pieces of news.
Israeli media outlets said a bill requesting that kidnappers of Israeli soldiers be sentenced with life in prison passed its preliminary reading in the Knesset, with a majority of MKs voting in favor.
The bill is due to be forwarded for approval in its second and third readings pending ultimate finalization.
The legislation pushed for imprisoning kidnappers of Israeli soldiers to life and also for banning their release in whatever swap deal expected to be struck with the captors.
The bill was proposed in light of the reported abduction of Israeli soldiers by Hamas resistance fighters. A state of frenzy has overwhelmed Israeli officials in an attempt to snuff out the flames of the rage fanned by such pieces of news.
Israeli newspaper Yade’out Ahrnout this morning published an article saying that according to Israeli security sources, Hamas has denied currently detaining a Israeli man in Gaza, clarifying that they had released him as soon as they discovered that he was not a soldier.
According to Yade’out, Palestinian and Israeli sources said that Mengistu was arrested by Hamas in Gaza after he entered into the Strip, but that he had subsequently been released and left through tunnels into Egypt.
Israeli sources told Yade’out that Israel had attempted a dialogue with Hamas during recent months via regional mediators in order to establish the fate of Mengistu. Hamas had refused to divulge any details, only saying that they had arrested and interrogated him before releasing him through the tunnels into Egypt.
Israeli security sources said that Hamas bears full responsibility for the life of the Israeli man who was announced to be arrested by Hamas 10 months ago.
The sources pointed out that all indicators pointed to the continued detention of Mengistu by Hamas, and that they did not believe that he had been released or that he had left Gaza into Egypt as Hamas had claimed.
According to Yade’out, Palestinian and Israeli sources said that Mengistu was arrested by Hamas in Gaza after he entered into the Strip, but that he had subsequently been released and left through tunnels into Egypt.
Israeli sources told Yade’out that Israel had attempted a dialogue with Hamas during recent months via regional mediators in order to establish the fate of Mengistu. Hamas had refused to divulge any details, only saying that they had arrested and interrogated him before releasing him through the tunnels into Egypt.
Israeli security sources said that Hamas bears full responsibility for the life of the Israeli man who was announced to be arrested by Hamas 10 months ago.
The sources pointed out that all indicators pointed to the continued detention of Mengistu by Hamas, and that they did not believe that he had been released or that he had left Gaza into Egypt as Hamas had claimed.
Possibly mentally ill Ethiopian Israeli apparently crossed border fence of his own free will, and was captured in September 2014; second citizen also reported to be in captivity.
An Israeli has been missing in the Gaza Strip for ten months, it was revealed on Thursday morning following the lifting of a gag order.
Avraham Mengistu, 29, a resident of Ashkelon, left his home in city in the early hours on September 8, 2014 and never returned after crossing the border with Gaza.
A second citizen, a member of a minority community, is also reported missing.
A senior defense official said there was no current information on Mengistu's fate, and that he had initially been arrested by Hamas. According to the source, Hamas claimed it had questioned Mengistu but released him because he was not a soldier. The official furthermore said there were attempts to negotiate his release.
According to Yoav Mordechai, the coordinator of government activities in the territories, current information suggests that Mengistu is being held by Hamas. However, senior defense officials said it was unclear whether this was the case.
A senior Palestinian official in the Gaza Strip who is familiar with the case told Ynet that Mengistu was held by Hamas in Gaza at one point and released him after realizing he was not a soldier. According to the source, Hamas announced that Mengistu had left Gaza through tunnels in Rafah and continued on to Egypt, and that he is no longer in Gaza.
"Now that the story of my brother has finally come out, we will no longer remain silent," the missing man's brother, Yalu Mengistu, told Yedioth Ashkelon. "There will be rallies and demonstrations, there will be media coverage and especially, we will be talking. They will hear us. We have lost confidence in the country and it seems like it does not care about our brother. The prime minister bothered to contact us only this week, on Wednesday. We sent him a letter at the beginning of the incident and he could not find the time to meet with us."
Sources say that Mengistu began walking on the beach, heading south. He reached the Ziqim beach area, and continued walking south until he crossed the military obstacles on the beach that divide Israel from Gaza.
Mengistu is allegedly mentally ill and is known to the Ashkelon social services.
Security forces stationed in the area noticed the man after he had crossed the border, and forces were immediately dispatched to the area, including a helicopter and ground troops. Mengistu continued on his path into Gaza and never returned.
The military wing of Hamas, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, held a mass rally in Rafah in September of 2014. On the day of the rally, a display was erected in Rafah -- a tall pole with a big black square attached to it with the writing "the black box" in Hebrew and Arabic. The sign, which Hamas failed to explain, caused a stir in Gaza, and the Palestinian media in the Strip tried to no avail to figure out the nature of the vague message.
Hamas apparently hoped that the case would be reported in Israeli media, but began pushing the issue in Arab media sources when they realized that a gag order had prevented reports from emerging that would reach the Israeli public. From there, the story reached international media -- specifically bloggers, as official news agencies could not verify the story through the Israeli government.
An Israeli has been missing in the Gaza Strip for ten months, it was revealed on Thursday morning following the lifting of a gag order.
Avraham Mengistu, 29, a resident of Ashkelon, left his home in city in the early hours on September 8, 2014 and never returned after crossing the border with Gaza.
A second citizen, a member of a minority community, is also reported missing.
A senior defense official said there was no current information on Mengistu's fate, and that he had initially been arrested by Hamas. According to the source, Hamas claimed it had questioned Mengistu but released him because he was not a soldier. The official furthermore said there were attempts to negotiate his release.
According to Yoav Mordechai, the coordinator of government activities in the territories, current information suggests that Mengistu is being held by Hamas. However, senior defense officials said it was unclear whether this was the case.
A senior Palestinian official in the Gaza Strip who is familiar with the case told Ynet that Mengistu was held by Hamas in Gaza at one point and released him after realizing he was not a soldier. According to the source, Hamas announced that Mengistu had left Gaza through tunnels in Rafah and continued on to Egypt, and that he is no longer in Gaza.
"Now that the story of my brother has finally come out, we will no longer remain silent," the missing man's brother, Yalu Mengistu, told Yedioth Ashkelon. "There will be rallies and demonstrations, there will be media coverage and especially, we will be talking. They will hear us. We have lost confidence in the country and it seems like it does not care about our brother. The prime minister bothered to contact us only this week, on Wednesday. We sent him a letter at the beginning of the incident and he could not find the time to meet with us."
Sources say that Mengistu began walking on the beach, heading south. He reached the Ziqim beach area, and continued walking south until he crossed the military obstacles on the beach that divide Israel from Gaza.
Mengistu is allegedly mentally ill and is known to the Ashkelon social services.
Security forces stationed in the area noticed the man after he had crossed the border, and forces were immediately dispatched to the area, including a helicopter and ground troops. Mengistu continued on his path into Gaza and never returned.
The military wing of Hamas, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, held a mass rally in Rafah in September of 2014. On the day of the rally, a display was erected in Rafah -- a tall pole with a big black square attached to it with the writing "the black box" in Hebrew and Arabic. The sign, which Hamas failed to explain, caused a stir in Gaza, and the Palestinian media in the Strip tried to no avail to figure out the nature of the vague message.
Hamas apparently hoped that the case would be reported in Israeli media, but began pushing the issue in Arab media sources when they realized that a gag order had prevented reports from emerging that would reach the Israeli public. From there, the story reached international media -- specifically bloggers, as official news agencies could not verify the story through the Israeli government.
Not mentally ill Ethiopian Israeli soldier was captured in August 2014, not September according to Moussa Abu Marzouk, and Israel knows it
A joint investigation was launched by the Shin Bet and the Southern District Police's terrorism unit. It later transpired the Ethiopian immigrant had left his home and gone missing for days at a timeon numerous occasions.
His family reported three different cases in the past in which he left home and failed to return.
His family was informed of the situation by social services shortly after Mengistu reportedly crossed the border.
Mengistu's mother lives in Ashkelon, while his father lives in central Israel. He has eight siblings. The lifting of the gag order came after Hamas leader Khaled Mashal claimed Wednesday that Israel had sent messages to the group through a European intermediary, asking the organization to return the bodies of two soldiers in their possession since Operation Protective Edge.
Gaza residents were witness on Wednesday evening to a parade by the organization's military wing marking the anniversary of Operation Protective Edge. The procession included a mock tank and a giant fist holding "military ID tags" belonging to Staff Sergeant Oren Shaul alongside two tags bearing question marks.
Staff Sergeant Oren Shaul was killed in the "Golani Tragedy" in Shejaiya on the 20th of July 2014. Six of his friends were killed in the attack and Shaul was declared as missing. Five days after the incident, then head of the IDF's manpower directorate, and current Chief Military Rabbi notified the family of Oren's death.
Goldin was killed in an incident which would later be dubbed the "Black Friday," in Rafah. The commander of the Givati reconnaissance company, Major Bnia Sarel, and his radioman Sergeant Liel Gidoni where killed in the incident as well. Goldin was declared missing, and later declared dead, as a result of brave actions by Captian Eitan Pond, which brought forward the evidence necessary to assume he had died.
A joint investigation was launched by the Shin Bet and the Southern District Police's terrorism unit. It later transpired the Ethiopian immigrant had left his home and gone missing for days at a timeon numerous occasions.
His family reported three different cases in the past in which he left home and failed to return.
His family was informed of the situation by social services shortly after Mengistu reportedly crossed the border.
Mengistu's mother lives in Ashkelon, while his father lives in central Israel. He has eight siblings. The lifting of the gag order came after Hamas leader Khaled Mashal claimed Wednesday that Israel had sent messages to the group through a European intermediary, asking the organization to return the bodies of two soldiers in their possession since Operation Protective Edge.
Gaza residents were witness on Wednesday evening to a parade by the organization's military wing marking the anniversary of Operation Protective Edge. The procession included a mock tank and a giant fist holding "military ID tags" belonging to Staff Sergeant Oren Shaul alongside two tags bearing question marks.
Staff Sergeant Oren Shaul was killed in the "Golani Tragedy" in Shejaiya on the 20th of July 2014. Six of his friends were killed in the attack and Shaul was declared as missing. Five days after the incident, then head of the IDF's manpower directorate, and current Chief Military Rabbi notified the family of Oren's death.
Goldin was killed in an incident which would later be dubbed the "Black Friday," in Rafah. The commander of the Givati reconnaissance company, Major Bnia Sarel, and his radioman Sergeant Liel Gidoni where killed in the incident as well. Goldin was declared missing, and later declared dead, as a result of brave actions by Captian Eitan Pond, which brought forward the evidence necessary to assume he had died.
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