Ron Arad, Zachari Baumel, Tzvi Feldman, Yehudah Katz have been missing for up to 17 years.

On August 17, 1997, Guy Hever, a soldier in the Israeli Army was last seen at his army base on the Southern Golan Heights. He was dressed in army fatigues and was carrying his weapon, key chain and international military identification papers. He was reportedly last seen standing at the Katzabiya junction, just a kilometer away from the Syrian border. The area was searched thoroughly but no trace of him was found.

Betar Tagar, Together with the Coalition for the Missing Soldiers, are at the forefront of the campaign to free our brothers

Contrary to the Geneva convention and all the basic principals of humanity, these men have been denied their most basic human rights and contact with anyone in the outside world. The magnitude of the cruelty that this has caused to their families and loved ones is beyond calculation. We are especially concerned for the well-being of Omer Suaed, since we feel that his captors will not treat him as a Prisoner of War, but rather as a traitor to his people.

We will ensure through our actions in the UK and worldwide, that the fate of these soldiers does not go unnoticed.

We appeal to the captors and jailers of these men, to show them the basic human rights to which they are entitled, and to allow access by the International Red Cross.

If you were in their position, you would want them to help you.

If you want to help us with this or any of our other campaigns, please contact us.

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RON ARAD

Captain Ron Arad, a navigator with the Israeli Air Force, was captured on October 16, 1986 after parachuting out of his Phantom jet. He landed in the area of Sayda in souther Lebanon and was captured by members of the Islamic fundamentalist Amal militia. Captain Arad was brought to Beirut and was personally held by then head of security of Amal, Mustafa Dirani. The leader of this militia, Nabi Berri, announced that he was holding Arad and proposed an exchange for Shiite and Lebanese detainees.

In early 1988, Dirani severed his ties with Amal for ideological differences and took Arad with him. He formed a new group that same year, called "The Resistance of the Believers". Arad was held captive under Dirani's group until the beginning of 1989. After negotiations between "The Resistance of the Believers" and the Iranians, Arad was handed over to the Iranian "Revolutionary Guards" in exchange for a large sum of money. Sources in Israel believe that Captain Ron Arad is still being held by this group, and according to an April 8, 1993 edition of the Jerusalem Report, he is now being held captive somewhere in Iran.

Ron Arad was born in Israel on May 5, 1958, the son of Batya and the late Dov Arad. Ron and his wife Tami have a daughter Yuval, who is ten years old. Before his capture, Ron was a student at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology where he was pursuing a B.S. degree in chemical engineering. At the time of his capture, he had successfully completed his first year of studies.

TZVI FELDMAN

Born: December 29, 1956

"I am always thinking; is he thirsty or ill? Is he being beaten? Maybe he is cold?" (Pnina Feldman, Tzvi's mother, July 7, 1994).

On the morning of June 11, 1982, in the Sultan Ya'akub area of Lebanon, a battle occurred between a Syrian Army unit and a tank force of the IDF. Upon completion of this battle, six Israeli soldiers were missing. Three of the six were ultimately found; however, Zachary Baumel, Zvi Feldman and Yehuda Katz are still missing.

Sources in Israel claim that terrorists who were in the Sultan Ya'akab area, including the Fatah and Syrian affiliated Sai'qa, organized a parade in the village of Ayta Al-Fawkhar on the very day these three Israeli soldiers were reported missing. There were reports that Israeli soldiers, or possibly bodies of Israeli soldiers, were displayed during the parade. That same afternoon, the Sai'qa organization held a processing in Damascus, which featured an Israeli tank captured in the Sultan Ya'akub battle. There were reports that Israeli POW's were being displayed in this parade. Others suggested that there were three corpses in the tank. On July 4, 1982 the Syrians held a funeral in the Jewish cemetary in Damascus for four IDF soldiers. The coffins were provided by the Sai'qa organization, and attached to them were Hebrew documents that were left behind in Israeli tanks from the battle in Sultan Ya'akub.

Under the auspices of a prisoner exchange in 1984, these four coffins and documents were transferred to Israel. It was discovered that only one of these coffins contained an Israeli body (Captain Zohar Lifschitz). The Israeli documents attached to them actually belong to Israeli soldiers who are alive and well in Israel. In December of 1991, a team of Red Cross pathologists re-examined the bodies and confirmed the fact that three of the bodies sent by Syria were not Israelis.

YEHUDAH KATZ

Born: July 18, 1959

"Yehuda must come home quickly. We are getting old". (Yosef Katz, Yehuda's father, September 18, 1994).

On the morning of June 11, 1982, in the Sultan Ya'akub area of Lebanon, a battle occurred between a Syrian Army unit and a tank force of the IDF. Upon completion of this battle, six Israeli soldiers were missing. Three of the six were ultimately found; however, Zachary Baumel, Zvi Feldman and Yehuda Katz are still missing.

Sources in Israel claim that terrorists who were in the Sultan Ya'akab area, including the Fatah and Syrian affiliated Sai'qa, organized a parade in the village of Ayta Al-Fawkhar on the very day these three Israeli soldiers were reported missing. There were reports that Israeli soldiers, or possibly bodies of Israeli soldiers, were displayed during the parade. That same afternoon, the Sai'qa organization held a processing in Damascus, which featured an Israeli tank captured in the Sultan Ya'akub battle. There were reports that Israeli POW's were being displayed in this parade. Others suggested that there were three corpses in the tank. On July 4, 1982 the Syrians held a funeral in the Jewish cemetary in Damascus for four IDF soldiers. The coffins were provided by the Sai'qa organization, and attached to them were Hebrew documents that were left behind in Israeli tanks from the battle in Sultan Ya'akub.

Under the auspices of a prisoner exchange in 1984, these four coffins and documents were transferred to Israel. It was discovered that only one of these coffins contained an Israeli body (Captain Zohar Lifschitz). The Israeli documents attached to them actually belong to Israeli soldiers who are alive and well in Israel. In December of 1991, a team of Red Cross pathologists re-examined the bodies and confirmed the fact that three of the bodies sent by Syria were not Israelis.

ZACHARIA BAUMEL

Born: November 17, 1960

"Everything is OK, it looks like I won't be home for a while..." (From Zachary's last postcard before being captured).

On the morning of June 11, 1982, in the Sultan Ya'akub area of Lebanon, a battle occurred between a Syrian Army unit and a tank force of the IDF. Upon completion of this battle, six Israeli soldiers were missing. Three of the six were ultimately found; however, Zachary Baumel, Zvi Feldman and Yehuda Katz are still missing.

Sources in Israel claim that terrorists who were in the Sultan Ya'akab area, including the Fatah and Syrian affiliated Sai'qa, organized a parade in the village of Ayta Al-Fawkhar on the very day these three Israeli soldiers were reported missing. There were reports that Israeli soldiers, or possibly bodies of Israeli soldiers, were displayed during the parade. That same afternoon, the Sai'qa organization held a processing in Damascus, which featured an Israeli tank captured in the Sultan Ya'akub battle. There were reports that Israeli POW's were being displayed in this parade. Others suggested that there were three corpses in the tank. On July 4, 1982 the Syrians held a funeral in the Jewish cemetary in Damascus for four IDF soldiers. The coffins were provided by the Sai'qa organization, and attached to them were Hebrew documents that were left behind in Israeli tanks from the battle in Sultan Ya'akub.

Under the auspices of a prisoner exchange in 1984, these four coffins and documents were transferred to Israel. It was discovered that only one of these coffins contained an Israeli body (Captain Zohar Lifschitz). The Israeli documents attached to them actually belong to Israeli soldiers who are alive and well in Israel. In December of 1991, a team of Red Cross pathologists re-examined the bodies and confirmed the fact that three of the bodies sent by Syria were not Israelis.

Guy Hever

Born: May 30th 1977

On August 17, 1997, Guy Hever, a soldier in the Israeli Army was last seen at his army base on the Southern Golan Heights. He was dressed in army fatigues and was carrying his weapon, key chain and international military identification papers. He was reportedly last seen standing at the Katzabiya junction, just a kilometer away from the Syrian border. The area was searched thoroughly but no trace of him was found.

Today, almost 7 years later, there are still no leads as to the circumstances of his dissapearance as well as to his whereabouts.

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If you want to help us with this or any of our other campaigns, please contact us.