LOS ANGELES, CA – Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield today made the following statement regarding the recent kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers by Hamas terrorists in the West Bank.

The kidnapping follows the recent pact between Fatah, the leading Palestinian party, and Hamas, which is listed by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization and has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007. The State of Israel is engaged in an intensive operation to return Gilad Sha'er (16), Naftali Frenkel (16), who has dual Israeli-American citizenship, and Eyal Yifrah (19) to their families.

“As a steadfast advocate for a lasting peace in the Middle-East with a long record of working to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship, I was dismayed to learn of the recent kidnapping of three Israeli teens by Hamas terrorists.

These kidnappings have sent shockwaves through Los Angeles, home to one of the largest Israeli-American communities in the nation. L.A. and the international community must condemn these terrorist acts in the strongest possible terms.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas has opened the door to wider Hamas activity in the West Bank with the recent establishment of the Fatah-Hamas pact. These kidnappings are a painful illustration of how the pact between Abbas and Hamas seems to have pushed peace further away and further destabilized the region.

Our hearts are heavy as we keep the families of the Gilad, Naftali and Eyal in our thoughts, and pray with millions around the world for their safe and swift return.”