[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 11138-11139]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           ISRAELI KIDNAPPING

  Mr. CRUZ. Madam President, I rise today to talk about three young 
boys--three young boys who are now in the hands of terrorists. This 
should be on the front page of every paper in the United States because 
this is an issue that is as vital to us as it is to the nation of 
Israel.
  On Thursday night, June 12, three Jewish teenagers--Naftali Fraenkel, 
Gilad Shaar and Eyal Yifrah--were kidnapped. You can see all three of 
these boys in the photos beside me.
  Today, Thursday June 26, marks the 14th day of their abduction. Just 
imagine if these were your children or any child you know. Just imagine 
if it were your child who was kidnapped for 14 days and you don't know 
where they are or even whether they are still alive.
  These boys--all smart, hard-working, diligent students--were taken on 
their way home from school. They were waiting at the bus stop. They 
were only 5 minutes away from their school--one of the finest yeshivas 
in Israel. These boys weren't doing anything wrong. They are innocent 
schoolchildren.
  Yet today it has been reported that Israel's Shin Bet identified two 
key suspects in the abduction. These two individuals are members of 
Hamas--a vicious terrorist organization that seeks Israel's destruction 
and has launched thousands of rockets into Israel, killing innocent 
civilians. These rockets have also killed dozens of Americans in 
Israel. Now they have kidnapped three school boys. Sadly, this is 
business as usual for Hamas. This is the same terrorist organization 
with which the Palestinian Authority recently joined in a so-called 
``unity'' government.
  Israel has been tirelessly looking for these two men since the 
kidnapping. They come from families who have broader ties to Hamas. In 
a telling statement to the Times of Israel, the mother of one of the 
two alleged terrorists claims she did not know of her son's actions, 
but she said she would be ``proud of him and hoped he would continue to 
evade capture.'' A mother, proud of her son for kidnapping three school 
boys.
  Hamas leader Khaled Mashal spoke about the kidnappings on Monday, 
saying, ``I bless those who did it because it is a moral obligation to 
free prisoners from Israeli jails.'' This is a leader of Hamas now 
parked effectively in the unity government of the Palestinian Authority 
blessing those who have kidnapped three school boys because this is the 
kind of activity that Hamas terrorists support, the kidnapping of 
innocent schoolchildren.
  Since the kidnapping, there have been no pictures or videos made 
available of the kidnapped boys. Their families are in the dark without 
any knowledge of where their boys are or what conditions they are being 
held in.
  Rachel Fraenkel, the mother of Naftali Fraenkel, spoke before the 
United Nations Human Rights Council on June 24. Rachel said:

       My son texted me--said he's on his way home--and then he's 
     gone. Every mother's nightmare is waiting and waiting 
     endlessly for her child to come home.

  She then pleaded for more action to be taken to find the boys, 
concluding:

       We just want them back in our homes, in their beds. We just 
     want to hug them . . .

  All of us should stand with Rachel as she stands with her son who has 
been kidnapped.
  I also want to tell the world about these three boys.
  Rachel's son Naftali is 16 years old. His grandparents have lived in 
Brooklyn, and Brooklyn has been a second home to him. He is the oldest 
of seven children. He likes playing the guitar, basketball, and Ping-
Pong. Indeed, there is even a video of him on YouTube playing Ping-
Pong. I have to say he is pretty good. He is a talented and gifted 
student who is on track to take the biology matriculation exams. His 
teachers say Naftali is brilliant, one of the best they have ever had, 
and his mother said his personality is a delightful combination of both 
serious and fun.
  Gilad Shaar, who was with Naftali that day--also coming home from 
school--was likewise abducted. Like Naftali, Gilad is 16 years old. 
``Gil'' means happiness and ``ad'' means forever. His name literally 
means ``happiness forever,'' and he is a source of joy to those who 
meet him.
  His aunt Leehy Shaar, whom I had the privilege of meeting and 
visiting earlier this week, said, ``He has a smile that brings light to 
the world''--quite fitting for a boy named ``happiness forever.'' She 
said, ``We want him home where he belongs, with his family, who so 
dearly loves him.''
  Gilad has five sisters, and he is described by them as a caring and 
loving brother. He is the family's only son, and he has family in Los 
Angeles and in New York. Gilad is witty. He loves to read, watch 
movies, and recently he finished a scuba diving course, but he is also 
a talented cook. He enjoys baking his sisters cakes and pastries.
  We don't know where Gilad is right now.

[[Page 11139]]

  Then there is Eyal Yifrah, the third boy kidnapped that day. He is 19 
years old and is the oldest of six children. He is a role model for 
their family, and he is loved by friends who say they would like to 
have him as a brother. He loves sports. He should be cheering the World 
Cup games today--like so many other teenagers--with his friends. A 
gregarious fellow, he likes to cook, travel, play guitar, and sing. 
Indeed, you can find videos of him on YouTube singing a song that he 
himself wrote. Eyal should be home singing again.
  There can be no more illusions that Hamas has any role in any future 
government formed by the Palestinian Authority. They must not receive 
any further recognition or legitimization. Hamas is a violent terrorist 
organization ready and eager to brutalize the most innocent. Hamas is a 
terrorist organization that kidnapped three innocent school boys.
  Hamas, give those boys back.
  Hamas, give those boys back now.
  The full weight of the world should bear down on Hamas to give them 
back safely and immediately. If they do not, we should use all 
available means to stand unequivocally with Israel for however long it 
takes to find these boys and to bring them home. These are teenagers 
who were targeted for who they are, who have done no wrong, who have 
done nothing that comes near to deserving what happened to them that 
day while waiting at the bus stop to go home from school.
  It is easy for us to become desensitized to violence, desensitized to 
terrorism. It is easy for us to forget that these are three teenage 
boys whose families desperately want their boys back. I ask that all of 
us lift them up in prayer. I pray for their safe return. I pray they 
will soon be home with the families who so dearly love them and miss 
them, and I pray that God will cover them with a shield of heavenly 
protection. I pray that America will stand strong, will shine a light 
and do everything possible to apprehend the terrorists and bring these 
boys home.
  Thank you, and God bless you.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.
  Mr. McCAIN. I ask unanimous consent to address the Senate as in 
morning business, and I appreciate the wonderful courtesy of my friend 
Senator Carl Levin.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________