"I was saddened to hear about the kidnapping of three young Israeli men - Eyal Yifrah, 19, from Elad, Gil-Ad Shaer, 16, from Talmon, and Naftali Frenkel, 16, from Nof Ayalon in the Hebron area - and strongly condemn this cowardly act. Many indications point to Hamas' involvement. Hamas is a terrorist organization that does not recognize Israel's right to exist, and kidnapping innocent young men does not bring Israelis and Palestinians closer to peace -- it in fact makes peace harder to achieve. I know Israeli security forces are working hard to find the kidnapped teens. I welcome President Abbas' condemnation of the kidnappings and encourage continued Palestinian efforts to assist in the search effort."