Israel thwarts 37 kidnap attempts in 2013

As Israel’s General Security Service, known locally as Shin Bet, continues to investigate the kidnapping and murder of a 20-year-old Israeli soldier by a Palestinian, it has been revealed that it has thwarted 37 attempts to kidnap soldiers this year alone.

A report in Yedioth Ahronoth said that the kidnap attempts generally have the intention to secure bargaining chips for the release of Palestinian prisoners, although Nidal Amar’s intention in killing Tomer Hazen is not known. Thousands of Palestinians are still being held in Israeli jails.

According to Major General Nitzan Alon of Israeli Central Command, the main threat today in the occupied West Bank is the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by Palestinian organisations. His officers have conducted a campaign to warn soldiers about the danger of being kidnapped. The campaign included warnings on the Internet and social networking websites as well as banners on display at railway stations.