Yona and Miriam Baumel, parents of Israeli MIA Zecharia Baumel, are hoping that the toughening US stance toward Syria will lead to new information about their son.
The Jerusalem Post reports that US Secretary of State Colin Powell questioned Syria regarding Baumel, who is a US citizen, during his meetings in Damascus earlier this month. The Syrians responded with a promise, as has been given on numerous past occasions, that they would look into the matter.
"A window of opportunity has opened with the shift in American-Syrian relations," said Baumel. "The confrontational relationship today should spur the Americans to pressure Syria on the basis of Zecharia's American citizenship."
Zecharia Baumel is one of three Israeli soldiers last seen during a tank battle with a Syrian-backed terrorist group during Israel's 1982 'Operation Peace for the Galilee'. The two other soldiers were Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman.
Other MIAs, whose whereabouts are unknown, include Ron Arad who was captured after ejecting from his fighter jet in 1986 and Guy Hever, who disappeared from his army base on the Southern Golan Heights on August 17, 1997.
On October 7, 2000, IDF combat engineers Adi Avitan, Binyamin Avraham, and Omar Souad were kidnapped by Hezbollah while on patrol on Israel’s Har Dov. Their families and the Red Cross have been denied any access to them, and the UN has refused to release all the information it possesses about their case. A week later, on October 15, 2000, the leader of Hezbollah announced that his organization had kidnapped Israeli businessman Elchanan Tannenbaum as well.
Baumel stresses that "once information is gleaned on Zachary's whereabouts, more can be learned about the other missing Israeli soldiers."
The Baumels met with congressmen, senators, and legislative staffers on Capitol Hill last week to ask them to put pressure on the State Department to be tougher with Syria on this issue.
The Jerusalem Post reports that US Secretary of State Colin Powell questioned Syria regarding Baumel, who is a US citizen, during his meetings in Damascus earlier this month. The Syrians responded with a promise, as has been given on numerous past occasions, that they would look into the matter.
"A window of opportunity has opened with the shift in American-Syrian relations," said Baumel. "The confrontational relationship today should spur the Americans to pressure Syria on the basis of Zecharia's American citizenship."
Zecharia Baumel is one of three Israeli soldiers last seen during a tank battle with a Syrian-backed terrorist group during Israel's 1982 'Operation Peace for the Galilee'. The two other soldiers were Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman.
Other MIAs, whose whereabouts are unknown, include Ron Arad who was captured after ejecting from his fighter jet in 1986 and Guy Hever, who disappeared from his army base on the Southern Golan Heights on August 17, 1997.
On October 7, 2000, IDF combat engineers Adi Avitan, Binyamin Avraham, and Omar Souad were kidnapped by Hezbollah while on patrol on Israel’s Har Dov. Their families and the Red Cross have been denied any access to them, and the UN has refused to release all the information it possesses about their case. A week later, on October 15, 2000, the leader of Hezbollah announced that his organization had kidnapped Israeli businessman Elchanan Tannenbaum as well.
Baumel stresses that "once information is gleaned on Zachary's whereabouts, more can be learned about the other missing Israeli soldiers."
The Baumels met with congressmen, senators, and legislative staffers on Capitol Hill last week to ask them to put pressure on the State Department to be tougher with Syria on this issue.