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Newsletter : 1fax0215.txt
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>Israel Faxx
>JN Feb. 15, 2001, Vol. 9, No. 28
Eight Killed in Terrorist Attack Bus Crash
By Arutz-7 News
St.Sgt. Ophir Megidish, 20, Kiryat Malachi
St.Sgt. David Iluz, 21, Kiryat Malachi
Cpl. Alexander Menevitch, 18, Ashkelon
Sgt. Julie Veiner, 21, Jerusalem and Kibbutz Zikkim
Cpl. Yasmin Krisi, 18, Ashkelon
Sgt. Rachel Levy, 19, Ashkelon
Sgt. Kokhava Polonsky, 19, Ashkelon
Simcha Shetreet, 30, Rishon L'Tzion
Deadly Attack at Israeli Bus Stop
By David Gollust (VOA-Washington) & VOA Staff in Israel
Using his bus as a battering ram, a Palestinian man has smashed into an Israeli bus stop south of Tel Aviv, killing eight Israelis and injuring 20 others. Most of the casualties were Israeli soldiers.
The Palestinian driver sped away but police caught up after a high speed chase of more than 12 miles and shot at the bus, which hit a truck. The bus driver was seriously injured. Israel's outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Barak condemned the attack as an abominable crime. Prime Minister-Elect Ariel Sharon said he would take all steps necessary to restore security for Israeli citizens.
The Palestinian attacker is identified as a 35-year old father from the Gaza Strip who has worked for the Israeli bus company Egged for five years, transporting workers between Gaza and Israel. His relatives say the man has no link to militant groups, but was upset at the deaths of Palestinian children in clashes with Israeli soldiers.
Israel responded to the bus attack by re-imposing a closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, barring Palestinians from entering Israel, Egypt or Jordan. It also says it will review its policies on screening Palestinians who have received permits to work in Israel.
Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat said in Jordan that the man's action was a response to Israeli military escalation which, he said, has a direct effect on the feelings of all Palestinians. Later, during a visit to Turkey, Arafat said he is against violence and killing people, whatever the cause. He said information available to him indicated the bus stop incident was just a road accident.
In the West Bank, Israeli soldiers Wednesday killed a member of the Palestinian security force when they fired at the car he was traveling in. But the army denied Palestinian assertions that the shooting was a targeted assassination like the one carried out Tuesday, when Israeli helicopter gunships tracked and killed a top Palestinian security official in the Gaza Strip.
Wednesday's violence followed overnight gunbattles between Israeli forces and Palestinians on the edge of Jerusalem and near the Khan Yunis refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.
President Bush condemned the Palestinian bus attack and is appealing to both parties to end the escalating violence. Bush reacted to the Tel Aviv attack in a hastily-called talk with reporters as he left the White House for a defense event in West Virginia.
He said he had telephoned Israel's outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Barak to express condolences for what he called a "terrible act of violence." He also made clear he wants both sides to act to defuse the situation. "The tragic cycle of violent action and reaction between Israel and the Palestinians, particularly the escalation this week, needs to stop. I am urging all parties to do their utmost to end the violence. We will continue to work with all parties to try to restore calm to the region."
The President did not mention other incidents, but aides say he had in mind this week's attack by Israeli helicopter gunships on a Palestinian security official in Gaza and recent Palestinian attacks on Jewish motorists and settlements.
Three senior envoys of Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon met with State Department and White House officials. The group, including former Israeli defense and foreign minister Moshe Arens, said Sharon is determined to pursue peace, but that talks cannot take place amid violence.
Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi, also in Washington, denounced Sharon as a war criminal and accused Barak of launching a campaign of political assassination.
The latest events give an added sense of urgency to Secretary of State Colin Powell's first trip to the region. He leaves late next week on a mission that will take him to Israel, the Palestinian areas, and several Arab capitals including Damascus.
Israel Tries to Halt Palestinian Attacks
By VOA News
Israel is trying to increase world pressure on Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat to halt Palestinian attacks on Israelis. Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Barak told Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar Wednesday that he expects the world to urge Arafat and the Palestinian Authority to cease the attacks. The two were meeting in Jerusalem.
An Israeli envoy, Ovadia Sofer, said in Paris that by allowing Islamic radical groups to attack Israel, Arafat risks de-stabilizing moderate Arab regimes.
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