Tensions between Israel and Palestine continue to deteriorate, and the latest news from the West Bank will not ameliorate the situation. Three teenagers have been reported missing in the West Bank and are presumed kidnapped.

According to the New York Times, the three teenagers were last heard from on Thursday when they were on their way to a hitchhiking station at Alon Shvut in the Gush Etzion settlement south of Jerusalem. A spokesman for the Israeli police told reporters that, around 10 p.m., they received a call from one of the teenagers' phones. No one spoke, though, and from the noises heard, they discerned the boys were in some sort of distress.

The incident could not come at a worse time. Israel has rejected the new Palestinian government, and peace talks between the two sides collapsed last year. The Times reported that Israel has stated it has foiled over 60 kidnap attempts by Palestinians, but this latest incident came as a surprise.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consulted with his defense minister and other defense officials, according to a statement. Meanwhile, Israeli forces are searching for the teenagers in near the Hebron area where they were reported missing.

One of the missing teens also holds a U.S. passport, according to the Times, and Israel has asked the U.S. to become involved in the search. Israeli troops and police searching in the area have been collecting security footage from stores in the off chance they find something related to the boys; however, some Palestinians have been urging storekeepers to destroy any footage they may have.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, saying it wants to avenge the death of three members of its group in the Hebron area by Israelis last year and to free prisoners in Israeli jails.

According to the Jerusalem Post, the Palestinian Authority, the de facto Palestinian government in charge of civilian security in some parts of the West Bank, claimed it is not responsible for the safety of the three teenagers.

"[The PA] is used to accusations from [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu's arbitrary government, which does not want to commit to any agreement and wants to damage all relations with Palestinians," Adnan Dmeiri said of the PA.

He added that the PA has no information on the boys, and that the settlement they were taken from falls under Israeli jurisdiction.

Jerusalem Post reporter Ben Hartman via Twitter has identified the boys as Gil-Ad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrah.

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