Israeli police found the body of a soldier who had been missing for a week, reports said Monday. Police suspected the soldier had been kidnapped by Palestinians, but Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz refused to speculate on the circumstances of his death.
"I don't want to reach any conclusions until we have studied all the evidence," Mofaz told reporters.
Earlier, Israel's Northern District Police Commander Major General Yaakov Borovsky was quoted as saying "The murder was for nationalist motives. We do not yet know the identity of the murderers, and therefore the question whether they were Israeli Arabs or Palestinians remains open."
The body of the soldier, who disappeared July 21, was found buried in an olive grove between the Arab villages of Kafr Kana and Mashad in the north of Israel, the reports said. Hundreds of police, soldiers and volunteers had been searching for him.
The soldier's disappearance came as Israeli security officials have warned they have intelligence warnings of Palestinian intentions to kidnap Israeli soldiers. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
