Israeli NGO asks US to extradite Hamas man behind 3 teens’ murder

Terror group official in Turkey boasted about June kidnapping, killing of teens, one of whom was US citizen

Israeli legal NGO Shurat Hadin has asked US Attorney General Eric Holder to request the extradition of Turkey-based Hamas official Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri, who is believed to be responsible for the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens in June, one of whom was an American citizen.

“Turkish authorities cannot allow a statement by a senior Hamas terrorist condoning and taking responsibility for the kidnapping and murder of innocent teenage boys announced on Turkish soil, and at the same time claim that Turkey is a humane country,” wrote Shurat HaDin founder Nitsana Darshan-Leitner. “Turkey is giving shelter to a terrorist who was released from prison for committing other terrorist acts, and who now brazenly announces his personal involvement in the abduction and murder of more Israeli civilians while comfortably residing in Turkey.”

Turkey and the United States have an extradition agreement between them.

Al-Arouri, a senior Hamas religious figure, was in Qatar on Thursday for the meeting held between exiled political bureau chief Khaled Mashaal, Palestinian Authority President Mahmou Abbas and the Qatari emir, Channel 2 reported.

Al-Arouri is heard on a video that surfaced Wednesday saying that he “blessed the heroic action” which was “carried out by the al-Qassam Brigades” — the armed wing of Hamas. This action, “the kidnapping to Hebron of the three settlers,” was an “operation spoken of far and wide,” al-Arouri added.

The sheikh was speaking at a conference of Muslim scholars in Turkey.

“There are those who say that it was your brothers in the al-Qassam Brigades, who carried it out for the sake of al-Qassam members who are in jails and who sit in a hunger strike,” al-Arouri continued, according to a Hebrew translation provided by Channel 2.

Hamas has denied involvement in the plot, but has long called for the kidnapping of Israelis, in order to exchange them for members held in Israeli jails.

Israel has accused Hamas of being behind the June 12 abduction and killing of Naftali Fraenkel, 16, Gil-ad Shaar, 16, and Eyal Yifrach, 19. The three were last seen at a hitchhiking post outside the settlement of Alon Shvut in the Etzion Bloc south of Jerusalem.

The abduction sparked a massive search operation and crackdown on Hamas in the West Bank, with hundreds of members arrested. Israeli officials said earlier this month that they arrested Hussam Kawasme, suspected of being the ringleader of the cell that carried out the attack. Kawasme reportedly admitted to interrogators that the group received funding from Hamas operatives in order to carry out the operation. The other two members of the cell, Marwan Kawasme and Amer Abu Aysha, who are thought to have carried out the killing, are still at large.

The bodies of the three teens were found near Hebron on June 30, sparking anti-Arab protests.

Tensions further ratcheted up after an East Jerusalem teen was killed by a Jewish Israeli in an apparent revenge attack, sparking days of unrest throughout the country and in the West Bank and heavy rocket fire on Israel.

On July 8, Israel launched the ongoing Operation Protective Edge to stymie the rocket fire with airstrikes and carried out a limited ground incursion into Gaza to destroy a network of cross-border attack tunnels.

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