Israel awoke once again this morning to horrific news, this time of the double murder of two 8th-grade boys outside their eastern Gush Etzion community of Tekoa. The two, Kobi Mandell and Yosef Ishran, set off yesterday morning to \"clear their heads,\" in the words of a Tekoa resident; they went to the Haritun area in Tekoa\'s \"back yard,\" some 300 meters from the most outlying house. They did not inform their parents, and only after dark, when they did not come home from school at the regular time, did searches begin. Their bodies, with severe signs of violence, were found in one of the nearby caves early this morning.
Haritun is a popular spot for hikers from all over Israel. A classmate of the murdered boys later said, \"They told me two days ago that they were planning to go to Haritun; I didn\'t even think to tell them not to go, because it\'s a common [place to go]...\" Many Tekoa children said they would continue to hike there.
Gush Etzion Regional Council head Sha\'ul Goldstein said today, \"All these questions about whether they went with permission or without permission - it\'s all irrelevant!…\" He warned, \"The residents\' fuse is very short… We will respond; we will strike back at those who strike at us. I am against hitting the innocent Palestinian population - but there is no such thing, because they are all incited by the PA in the media and the school textbooks to murder Jews... Two boys happen upon some Arabs, who did not plan this murder in advance, but were rather treated to a constant dose of incitement to hatred and murder... We demand that the government shut down the Palestinian media, which incessantly broadcasts incitement to hatred and murder...\"
The double funeral set out from Tekoa late this afternoon, and was scheduled to make its first stop at the Gush Etzion intersection, where eulogies were to be delivered. From there, the mourners will part ways: Kobi Mandell will be buried in Kfar Etzion, and Yosef Ishran will be buried in Har HaMenuchot in Jerusalem.
The IDF entered a PA police station near Tekoa this afternoon and arrested over 20 Arab suspects. Palestinians near Tekoa stole a herd of 100 goats from a Jewish shepherd in the area; some of those arrested admitted to stealing the herd. The army has closed off exits from the area, in an attempt to catch the murderers. The preliminary investigation has shown that the boys were murdered yesterday afternoon; the boys fought with their killers, but were overcome and cruelly stoned and stabbed to death.
Haritun is a popular spot for hikers from all over Israel. A classmate of the murdered boys later said, \"They told me two days ago that they were planning to go to Haritun; I didn\'t even think to tell them not to go, because it\'s a common [place to go]...\" Many Tekoa children said they would continue to hike there.
Gush Etzion Regional Council head Sha\'ul Goldstein said today, \"All these questions about whether they went with permission or without permission - it\'s all irrelevant!…\" He warned, \"The residents\' fuse is very short… We will respond; we will strike back at those who strike at us. I am against hitting the innocent Palestinian population - but there is no such thing, because they are all incited by the PA in the media and the school textbooks to murder Jews... Two boys happen upon some Arabs, who did not plan this murder in advance, but were rather treated to a constant dose of incitement to hatred and murder... We demand that the government shut down the Palestinian media, which incessantly broadcasts incitement to hatred and murder...\"
The double funeral set out from Tekoa late this afternoon, and was scheduled to make its first stop at the Gush Etzion intersection, where eulogies were to be delivered. From there, the mourners will part ways: Kobi Mandell will be buried in Kfar Etzion, and Yosef Ishran will be buried in Har HaMenuchot in Jerusalem.
The IDF entered a PA police station near Tekoa this afternoon and arrested over 20 Arab suspects. Palestinians near Tekoa stole a herd of 100 goats from a Jewish shepherd in the area; some of those arrested admitted to stealing the herd. The army has closed off exits from the area, in an attempt to catch the murderers. The preliminary investigation has shown that the boys were murdered yesterday afternoon; the boys fought with their killers, but were overcome and cruelly stoned and stabbed to death.