Three More Israelis Killed As Palestinian Intifada Re-Ingnites
ICEJ NEWS – 01/16/2002
Three Israelis, including one with dual American citizenship, were murdered by Palestinian terrorists in separate shootings and a school bus was fired upon on Wednesday, as the bullet-riddled ceasefire faltered towards complete collapse over the past 24 hours.
The spate of killings brings to eight the number of Israelis dead from terror attacks in the past eight days, and Israeli officials are warning to expect more. Five of the latest terror victims have been Israeli Arabs, four serving in the IDF and one a motorist killed Wednesday near Jenin when he likely was mistaken for a Jewish settler by Palestinian gunmen.
Palestinian terrorists shot and killed the Israeli Arab civilian this morning traveling in his car near Jenin, probably suspecting him to be Jewish. The victim, a resident of the Jerusalem suburb of Beit Hanina, had yellow Israeli license plates on his car. Investigators believe that the terrorists thought they were murdering a Jew, not an Arab, and that they shot the man from a passing vehicle. The terrorists fled to nearby Palestinian-controlled territory. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the murder.
Also this morning, Arabs opened fire on a school bus this morning transporting Jewish children to school near Hermesh, east of Hadera. None of the children were injured, but the bus was damaged.
On Tuesday, Yoela Chen, 47, a married mother of two, was killed at a gas station in Givat Ze’ev, a Jewish community on the northwest outskirts of Jerusalem. She was driving with her aunt when she was shot in the head and chest. Her aunt was treated for injuries. They were on their way to a wedding.
Also yesterday, Avraham Boaz, 71, was beaten and then shot repeatedly in Beit Sahour, just east of Bethlehem. He had been abducted in Beit Jalla. Boaz, who holds dual Israeli-US citizenship, crossed into Palestinian territory frequently, working on numerous projects in the Bethlehem area, and dining out and attending family functions with Palestinian friends.
He was reportedly with a Palestinian friend Tuesday morning when they were forced by terrorists to get out of the car. Boaz was then taken by four terrorists to Beit Sahour, where he was beaten and shot 19 times. Palestinian police reportedly witnessed the kidnapping and failed to intervene, a charge they deny.
Residents in Bethlehem and Beit Jalla were angry about Boaz’s murder, saying that he had been a fixture in the largely Christian Arab communities for 20 years, and had become “part of the local society.” They said that Boaz maintained good relations with many in Bethlehem and Beit Jalla.
At least 40 people killed since the signing of the Oslo accords in 1993 were American citizens or held dual Israeli-US citizenship.
The Fatah’s Al-Aksa Brigade took responsibility for Tuesday’s killings despite an earlier announcement by Fatah leader Hussein al-Sheikh that the group would abide by the limited ceasefire declared by PLO chief Yasser Arafat in mid-December.
These killings came after the same Fatah milita killed an IDF soldier in Tulkarm in retaliation for the death of local Fatah commander Raed Karmi. Palestinians have maintained that Karmi, implicated in 10 Israeli deaths, was assassinated by Israel but Israeli officials have said he was probably killed when a bomb he was building accidentally detonated.
Palestinian officials had previously told Israel and international leaders that they had arrested Karmi, causing Israeli officials to wonder when he died Monday how he could have been killed outside prison.
Soon after Karmi’s still un-explained death on Monday, gunmen from the Al Aksa brigades struck an IDF patrol near Nablus, killing IDF Sgt. Elad Abu-Gani, 19, of Tiberias and wounding two other soldiers. The IDF unit was patrolling a roadblock when they were fired at in the evening from factories located about 100 meters from their position.
“There are factories located on higher ground that enable the terrorists to observe the soldiers, fire the shots and within minutes flee to Area A,” said IDF Col. Yossi Adiri, commander of the Samaria district.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Tuesday, “These terror attacks only show that Arafat’s declarations were a lie. Arafat didn’t take a single step to stop terror activity; thus, we must take measures and provide security to citizens of Israel.”
In another arena, Hizb’Allah gunmen in south Lebanon shot at Israeli Air Force jets Tuesday night. No planes were hit, but the shots and falling debris raised concerns among Kiryat Shmona residents who fled to bomb shelters fearing missile attacks.
Israeli officials meanwhile are warning of a fresh wave of terrorist attacks in Israel and the territories. IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Shaul Mofaz said that attacks from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, as well as Palestinian Authority attacks deeper into Israeli territory, can be expected.
Mofaz told Knesset members that groups, such as Hamas, fearing a crackdown by the PA are receiving instructions from external sources to resume attacks. “We have a series of warnings of terror attacks in Israel, Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip,” Mofaz said. Also, weapons owned by the Palestinians can reach targets such as Ben-Gurion Airport, Mofaz cautioned.
ICEJ. Used with Permission.