TIMES OF ISRAEL
Times of Israel Staff
June 15, 2014
Defense minister imposes closure on Hebron area, shutters Gaza crossings; settlements to deny entry to Palestinian laborers
Hundreds of people prayed Saturday night at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, for the safe return of three Israelis kidnapped in the West Bank.
Eyal Yifrach, 19, from Elad near Petah Tikva, Gil-ad Shaar, 16, from the settlement of Talmon, and Naftali Frenkel, 16, a dual Israeli-American citizen from Nof Ayalon near Modi’in, who were last seen at a hitchhiking post near Hebron Thursday night, and whose kidnappings were confirmed Saturday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, were last heard from around 22:00 p.m. Thursday night.
Among the attendees were Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef and members of Knesset, who prayed for the release of the abducted teenagers and recited psalms. Similar prayer sessions were held elsewhere Saturday night, including at the Cave of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon announced a full closure on the Hebron area, only allowing passage at checkpoints to Palestinians in need of urgent medical care and other humanitarian cases.
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