The “Born to Freedom Foundation” has been recently set up to help locate Arad and bring him, and all other Israeli MIA’s, home speedily. The Foundation is offering $10 million dollars for any information leading to Arad.
Arad has been missing since he bailed out of his Israel Air Force plane over Lebanon on October 16, 1986 and was captured by an Iranian-backed terrorist group, Amal. Since then, Arad has been held captive and shifted between locations in Lebanon and Iran by various Iranian-backed militias.
Following Arad’s capture, a series of negotiations for his release took place. It is believed that Arad was sold to Hizbullah, or another Iranian-backed group, by Amal terror-chief Mustafa Dirani. After May 1988, no further sightings of the Israeli airman were reported. Iran has never publicly admitted to holding Ron Arad, or even possessing any information on his whereabouts.
The “Born to Freedom Foundation” was set up on behalf of Arad’s family and friends, and is supported both financially and logistically by an international committee, “Friends of Born to Freedom Foundation.” It is also backed by several governmental bodies, including the Prime Minister’s Office.
Details about Ron Arad’s story and the $10 million reward are offered in English, Arabic, Farsi and Russian on the Foundation’s web site:
“If you or any of your relatives or friends have relevant and reliable information on Ron Arad’s whereabouts,” reads the offer, “contact the ‘Born To Freedom’ Foundation. The Foundation guarantees a $10,000,000 (ten million U.S. dollars) reward for proven information. Full personal SECURITY & SECRECY ensured.”
Following the October airing of a German documentary claiming that Arad had died, the Prime Minister’s Office urged the public not to lose hope. It issued the following statement:
“The security establishment is continuing to act in order to clarify the fate of Ron Arad and bring him back home. Over the years, many reports have been received from various sources, some of them official, regarding Ron Arad. The security establishment and the intelligence community have checked all of the reports but, to our regret, Israel has no proof regarding his fate. The State of Israel will continue to make every effort to resolve this painful case and will not rest until Ron Arad’s fate is known and he is brought back home.”
Many Israelis were hopeful that Arad would be returned following the exchange of hundreds of Arab prisoners for Israeli businessman Elchanan Tenenbaum and three dead Israeli soldiers this past January. In June, the Hizbullah terror organization handed over what it claimed was a bone belonging to Arad, but which tests revealed was a fake. Hizbullah was hoping to exchange information on Arad for the release of terrorist murderer Samir Kuntar from an Israeli prison.
The $10 million reward, partially backed by the Prime Minister’s Office, has led many to conclude that there will be no exchange with Hizbullah.
To provide any information, the Foundation can be reached by telephone at: +44-208-8080808
By email: "info@10million.org"
On the Internet: www.10million.org
Arad has been missing since he bailed out of his Israel Air Force plane over Lebanon on October 16, 1986 and was captured by an Iranian-backed terrorist group, Amal. Since then, Arad has been held captive and shifted between locations in Lebanon and Iran by various Iranian-backed militias.
Following Arad’s capture, a series of negotiations for his release took place. It is believed that Arad was sold to Hizbullah, or another Iranian-backed group, by Amal terror-chief Mustafa Dirani. After May 1988, no further sightings of the Israeli airman were reported. Iran has never publicly admitted to holding Ron Arad, or even possessing any information on his whereabouts.
The “Born to Freedom Foundation” was set up on behalf of Arad’s family and friends, and is supported both financially and logistically by an international committee, “Friends of Born to Freedom Foundation.” It is also backed by several governmental bodies, including the Prime Minister’s Office.
Details about Ron Arad’s story and the $10 million reward are offered in English, Arabic, Farsi and Russian on the Foundation’s web site:
“If you or any of your relatives or friends have relevant and reliable information on Ron Arad’s whereabouts,” reads the offer, “contact the ‘Born To Freedom’ Foundation. The Foundation guarantees a $10,000,000 (ten million U.S. dollars) reward for proven information. Full personal SECURITY & SECRECY ensured.”
Following the October airing of a German documentary claiming that Arad had died, the Prime Minister’s Office urged the public not to lose hope. It issued the following statement:
“The security establishment is continuing to act in order to clarify the fate of Ron Arad and bring him back home. Over the years, many reports have been received from various sources, some of them official, regarding Ron Arad. The security establishment and the intelligence community have checked all of the reports but, to our regret, Israel has no proof regarding his fate. The State of Israel will continue to make every effort to resolve this painful case and will not rest until Ron Arad’s fate is known and he is brought back home.”
Many Israelis were hopeful that Arad would be returned following the exchange of hundreds of Arab prisoners for Israeli businessman Elchanan Tenenbaum and three dead Israeli soldiers this past January. In June, the Hizbullah terror organization handed over what it claimed was a bone belonging to Arad, but which tests revealed was a fake. Hizbullah was hoping to exchange information on Arad for the release of terrorist murderer Samir Kuntar from an Israeli prison.
The $10 million reward, partially backed by the Prime Minister’s Office, has led many to conclude that there will be no exchange with Hizbullah.
To provide any information, the Foundation can be reached by telephone at: +44-208-8080808
By email: "info@10million.org"
On the Internet: www.10million.org