“Even as we are shocked, we are proud. Proud of the dignity and nobility of these three families, selected by terrorists because they were ordinary Israelis, but who have shown through their courage and sensitivity how extraordinary they are,’’ said Israeli Ambassador to Britain Daniel Taub said Wednesday night as hundreds of people gathered for a candlelit vigil outside the Israeli embassy in London to express their solidarity with the bereaved families of the three Israeli teenagers who were kidnapped and killed in the West Bank.
The murdered bodies of 16-year-olds Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaar and 19-year-old Eyal Yifrach were discovered near the village of Halhul, north of Hebron, not far from where they were kidnapped on 12 June as they hitchhiked home after school.
Around 700 people attended the gathering in Kensington, including representatives of the major Jewish organisations, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council, UJIA and the Zionist Federation.
Wielding placards and Israeli flags, the crowd sang Hebrew hymns and the Israeli national anthem 'Hatikvah' (Hope).
Addressing the crowd Britain’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said: "What happened to them was simply horrific. The people of Israel have conducted themselves with immense and deep dignity.’’
"We have joined together with the people of Israel in absolute unity. Sometimes our foes cause us to do things we don't wish to do. We must defend our people and safeguard the security of our nation. We are at one with the families and are inspired by them," he added.
Similar solidarity gatherings are to take place on Thursday in Paris and Brussels.
Israel blamed Hamas for the three teenagers' death. Israel’s domestic security agency Shin Bet named the two principal suspects as Marwan Kawasmeh and Amer Abu Eisheh, two Hamas operatives from the Hebron area.