A French Delegation traveled last week to Beirut to urge Lebanese authorities to clarify the fate of seven Lebanese Jewish hostages who have been missing for as long as a decade.
The delegation, led by Roger Pinto, vice president of CRIF, the umbrella organization representing the French Jewish community, included a former Cabinet minister and two members of the National Assembly. They met with Lebanese Foreign Minister fairs Bouez and with human rights and Red Cross officials to discuss the hostages.
“All those we met with committed themselves to do their best to obtain information about” the hostages, said Pinto.
“Our message was clear: an end must be put to be the nightmare of the hostages’ relatives. If the missing ones are alive, they must be released at once. If they are dead, their bodies must be given back to their families,” said Pinto.
The French delegation released the names of the missing members of Beirut’s Jewish community.
Selim Murad Jammus, secretary of Beirut’s Jewish community, was abducted in 1984. Dr. Elie Hallac a physician and vice president of the community, was abducted from his home on March 30, 1985, the same day that Elie Srour, another community members, was abducted.
Isaac Sasson, president of Beirut’s Jewish community, was abducted March 31,1985, on his way to the airport. Yehuda Beniste, owner of a transport company, was abducted three months later. Henri Mann, a shopowner, disappeared in 1986.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
