[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 76 (Tuesday, June 11, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5359-S5360]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 REMEMBERING THE MIA'S OF SULTAN YAQUB ON THE TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF 
                             THEIR CAPTURE

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join 
me in remembering the Israeli soldiers captured by the Syrians during 
the 1982 Israeli war with Lebanon. It is with great sadness that we 
mark today 20 long years of anguish for their families, who continue to 
desperately seek information about their sons.
  On June 11, 1982, an Israeli unit battled with a Syrian armored unit 
in the Bekaa Valley in northeastern Lebanon. Sergeant Zachary Baumel, 
First Sergeant Zvi Feldman, and Corporal Yehudah Katz were captured by 
the Syrians that day. They were identified as an Israeli tank crew, and 
reported missing in Damascus. The Israeli tank, flying the Syrian and 
Palestinian flag, was greeted with cheers from bystanders.
  Since that terrible day in 1982, the governments of Israel and the 
United States have been doing their utmost by working with the office 
of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations, 
and other international bodies to obtain any possible information about 
the fate of the missing soldiers. According to the Geneva Convention, 
Syria is responsible for the fates of the Israeli soldiers because the 
area in Lebanon where the soldiers disappeared was continually 
controlled by Syria. To this day, despite promises made by the 
government of Syria and by the Palestinians, very little information 
has been released about the condition of Zachary Baumel, Zvi Feldman, 
and Yehudah Katz.
  Today marks the anniversary of the day that these soldiers were 
reported missing in action. Twenty pain-filled years have passed since 
their families have seen their sons, and still Syria has not revealed 
their whereabouts nor provided any information as to their condition.
  One of these missing soldiers, Zachary Baumel, is an American citizen 
from my home of Brooklyn, New York. An ardent basketball fan, Zachary 
began his studies at the Hebrew School in Boro Park. In 1979, he moved 
to Israel with other family members and continued his education at 
Yeshivat Hesder, where religious studies are integrated with army 
service. When the war with Lebanon began, Zachary was completing his 
military service and was looking forward to attending Hebrew 
University, where he had been accepted to study psychology. But fate 
decreed otherwise and on June 11, 1982, he disappeared with Zvi Feldman 
and Yehudah Katz.
  During the 106th Congress, I co-sponsored and helped to pass Public 
Law 106-89, which specifies that the State Department must raise the 
plight of these missing soldiers in all relevant discussions and report 
findings to Congress regarding developments in the Middle East. We need 
to know that every avenue has been pursued in order to help bring about 
the speedy return of these young men. Therefore, I strongly feel that 
we must be sure to continue the full implementation of Public Law 106-
89, so that information about these men can be brought to light.

  Zachary's parents Yonah and Miriam Baumel have been relentless in 
their pursuit of information about Zachary and his compatriots. I have 
worked closely with the Baumels, as well as the Union of Orthodox 
Jewish Congregations of America, the American Coalition for Missing 
Israeli Soldiers, and the MIA Task Force of the Conference of 
Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. These groups have 
been at the forefront of this pursuit of justice. I want to recognize 
their good work and ask my colleagues to join me in supporting their 
efforts. For two decades these families have been without their 
children. Answers are long overdue.
  I am not only saddened by the plight of Zachary Baumel, Zvi Feldman, 
and Yehudah Katz, but I am disheartened and angered by the fact that 
even as we

[[Page S5360]]

have continued to search for answers about their welfare, we have been 
forced to add more names to the list of those for who we have no 
knowledge of their location, health, or safety.
  IDF Soldier Guy Chever disappeared without a trace from his army base 
in the Golan on August 17th, 1997. Almost three years later, Colonel 
Elchanan Tanenbaum was kidnapped by Hezbollah while on a business trip 
in Europe on October 15th, 2000. Left behind are two more families who 
simply do not know what has become of their loved ones.
  And at this time, I feel it is also appropriate to speak not only of 
those who remain missing, but for those who were unfairly taken from 
their families never to return. I am speaking of course of Sergeant Adi 
Avitan of Tiberias, Staff Sergeant Binyamin Avraham of Bnei Brak, and 
Staff Sergeant Omar Souad of Salma.
  In a clear-cut violation of international law, these three Israeli 
soldiers were abducted by Hezbollah on October 7, 2000 while on 
operational duty along the border fence in the Dov Mountain range along 
Israel's border with Lebanon. It is believed that they were wounded 
during the incident.
  According to an investigation by the IDF Northern Command, Hezbollah 
terrorists set two roadside bombs, then crossed through a gate near the 
fence, pulled the three soldiers out of their jeep and fired anti-armor 
missiles at the empty vehicle. The soldiers were then taken by the 
terrorists to the Lebanese side of the border. Although the United 
States called on Syria to assist in the timely release of these three 
soldiers, no information was given as to their conditions or 
whereabouts. The International Red Cross had also been requested to 
intervene by attempting to arrange for a visit with the three kidnapped 
IDF soldiers in order to ascertain their status.
  After much soul searching and heartache, it was determined that the 
return of these men to their homes and loved ones could no longer be 
hoped for. Their families have grieved, and my heart goes out to them. 
The hope I hold now is that we will not allow the families of those who 
remain missing to suffer in the same way.
  The agony of the families of these kidnapped Israeli soldiers is 
extreme. They have not heard a word regarding the fate of their sons 
who are being held captive for political ransom. We must pledge to do 
our utmost to bring these soldiers home, for the same of peace, decency 
and humanity.

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