Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, who was set to meet with the families of abducted Israeli teens Gil-ad Shaer, Eyal Yifrach and Naftali Frenkel on Wednesday, was not expected to have much to say. The military's premise remains the same -- until proven otherwise, the three are alive. The nagging question, however, remains the same: if the three are alive, why have their abductors refrained, so far, from negotiating for their release? The Shin Bet security agency continues to "shake the trees" across the West Bank, arresting anyone affiliated with Hamas or any other nefarious organization, and anyone ever suspected of terrorism, arms trafficking, or any other related activity. Every intelligence asset is being tapped and everyone is being questioned, in the hopes that someone would be able to provide information that would lead to the teens' whereabouts, as well as to their abductors. The one thing that has become clear almost immediately is that this was the work of a highly organized terror cell, and that the abduction was meticulously planned. Still, Israel's working assumption has remained the same -- it is just a matter of time until the three are found. Meanwhile, Israel is systematically working to undercut Hamas' grip on the West Bank. The directive stretches beyond just the terror group's operational infrastructure, and includes its political and financial instruments as well. With over 200 operatives arrested so far, the IDF crackdown on Hamas is massive, and the 300,000 residents of the Hebron area, which has been surrounded since Saturday, are feeling the pressure. They are likely to feel it even more as the Islamic holiday of Ramadan draws near, but despite Israel's hopes, it is highly unlikely that the area's residents would pressure the abductors to bring this affair to its end. Touring the Central Command on Tuesday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz told his officers that there was no definitive timetable for the operation. A senior officer said, "We have at least a week's-worth of work cut out for us, during which we will continue to pressure Hamas." The possibility of deporting senior Hamas operatives from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip has yet to be shelved, but the government's legal advisers are reluctant to approve it. Meanwhile, the Shin Bet's Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria departments are stretched thin, for the first time since 2002's Operation Defensive Shield. The scope of IDF forces deployed on the ground in the West Bank is also the biggest in over a decade. The directive, as GOC Central Command Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon defined it Tuesday, has remained the same -- "undermine Hamas both operationally and strategically."
