Mother pleads at UN for help finding abducted teens

Rachelle Fraenkel calls for immediate release of captive yeshiva students at Human Rights Council in Geneva

By ToI Staff 24 June 2014, 11:55 am

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Rachelle Fraenkel (left, in yellow headscarf) addresses the United Nations Human Rights Council, Tuesday, June 24, 2014 (screen capture: UN)

The mother of the abducted teenager Naftali Fraenkel told the UN’s Human Rights Council that much more could be done to help find her son and two other Israelis kidnapped in the West Bank 12 days ago.

“Much more can be done and should be done by so many,” Rachelle Fraenkel, whose 16-year-old son is a dual Israeli-American citizen, told the council in Geneva. “I ask everyone to do whatever they can to bring back our boys. It is wrong to use boys as instruments of any struggle.” (Full text of Fraenkel’s speech.)

Fraenkel was joined by Bat-Galim Shaar and Iris Yifrach, the mothers of the other two youths, but was the only mother who spoke. Naftali, 16, was last seen while hitchhiking south of Jerusalem along with Eyal Yifrach, 19, and Gil-ad Shaar, 16.

“I come here today as a mother,” Fraenkel said, who went on to describe the events of that day. The boys were taken on June 12, and “since then we’ve heard nothing.” Naftali had texted her saying he was on his way home, she said.

Naftali Fraenkel, one of the youths abducted (photo credit: courtesy)

Prior to and after her address, a series of other speakers castigated Israeli policy as regards the Palestinians. Fraenkel and the other two mothers were seated close to the other speakers, whose addresses included accusations of war crimes against Israel.