Israel – Netanyahu: Israel Won’t Rest Until Kidnapped Teens Are Found

Israel – Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the 2014 Summer Birthright Mega Event Tuesday night and thousands of telling the Taglit travelers at the Caesaria Amphitheater, “We will not rest until we find those boys and bring them home,” Netanyahu said. “We will also find their kidnappers.”

Netanyahu also welcomed the Birthright participants saying, “Old the young visitors, “This is your homeland. There is a force within our people that has allowed us to turn our country into an amazing success story.” He mentioned the fact that there are still challenges facing the country, but spoke with optimism in regards to the three missing teenagers.

Many other prominent figures, including Olympic medalist Yael Arad and American politician Mike Huckabee, sat within the audience of Birthright participants.

Netanyahu referred to Huckabee as a “strong friend of Israel” at one point in his speech.

Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire philanthropist who was instrumental in the funding of Birthright, also spoke and urged the crowd to become more active in their promotion of Israel to the world.

“Most countries only get one ambassador,” he said. “There are 4,000 of you here tonight.”

Birthright participant Jordan Gladstone from Houston, Texas said he was excited to learn about the traditions of the country, but also the new advancements in technology Israeli has forged in the recent decade.

“It’s good to experience the history as well as the modern day innovation,” he said.

Another participant, University of Vermont student Lina Freed, spoke about the importance of the program.

“It’s all about getting in touch with our roots,” she said. “We’re all Jewish in our hearts.”

Content provided as courtesy of the Jerusalem Post