More Deaths in Israel in Yet Another Set of Attacks

September 10, 2003

On Tuesday, September 9, 2003, 15 people were killed and over 80 wounded in two suicide bombings which took place in Israel.

Stopping the Terrorism

A day of terrorist attacks reminds us again what this war is about. The Palestinian Authority (PA) and its chairman are at the helm of a terrorist operation. The PA has given the green light to Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Chairman Arafat's Tanzim-Fatah to carry out terrorist attacks. According to press reports, the Fatah also claimed responsibility to the attack in Tzrifin.

Former Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas' resignation and his failure to establish his government’s authority in security matters, along with his direct criticism of Chairman Arafat, proves how tainted with terrorism the Authority and its leadership is. The PA has failed to fight terrorism not because it lacks the power, but because it has never truly renounced it.

The appointment of a new Palestinian prime minister will only be of any significance if he is allowed to establish his government's authority and dismantle the terrorist network. Whether Arafat allows him to carry out his responsibilities remains to be seen. Head of the Defense Ministry’s defense and political division, Amos Gilad, said that Prime Minister-designate Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala) is in Arafat’s shadow, and therefore has no intention of either fighting terror or implementing reforms.

The on-going assault against Israel, and the determination of the terrorist organizations to kill Jews because of who we are doesn’t leave Israel much of a choice. Fighting terrorism is the Government of Israel’s top priority. Since the PA failed to fight against the establishment of terrorism or establish law and order, Israel must do that.

As much as we had hoped that the “Road Map” would lead us to better days – ending terror, dismantling the infrastructure of terrorism is a must. As long as the PA fails to fight terror, it will not be a reliable partner for negotiations.

As we bury our dead, as we pray for the wounded, we need to remember each and every one of them, their lives, their hopes, the wedding that will never take place, our struggle for life.

Tzrifin Suicide Bombing

• Eight IDF soldiers were killed and 30 people were wounded in a suicide bombing at 5:40 p.m. at a hitchhiking post for soldiers outside a main entrance to the Tzrifin army base and Assaf Harofeh Hospital, near Rishon Lezion. The bomber wore civilian clothes and carried a leather bag containing a 3-4 kilogram bomb. He got out of a car at the bus stop, and almost immediately blew himself up. Both Fatah (Chairman Arafat's organization) and Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.
• The Victims:
  
  

  Haim Alfasi		Yaakov Ben-Shabbat		Mazi Grego		Yael Kfir
  Felix Nikolaichuk		Yonatan Peleg		Efrat Schwartzman		Prosper Twito

Cafe Hillel Suicide Bombing - Jerusalem

• Seven people were killed and over 50 wounded when a suicide bomber exploded at 11:20 p.m. at Cafe Hillel on Emek Refaim St., the main thoroughfare of the German Colony neighborhood in Jerusalem. According to an eyewitness, the bomber tried to get into a Pizza Meter restaurant but was rebuffed by a security guard, so he went into the crowded Cafe Hillel next door. The guard at the entrance to the cafe tried to prevent the bomber from entering, but he had managed to get several meters inside. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.
• The Victims:
  
  

  David Appelbaum		Nava Appelbaum		David Avizadris		Shafik Karim
  Alon Mizrahi		Gila Moshe		Yehiel Emil Tubo

• Palestinians Murder U.S.-Born Hospital Emergency Room Director Dr. David Appelbaum
  Dr. David Appelbaum, 50, director of the emergency department at Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem, was one of seven people killed in a suicide bombing at Cafe Hillel in Jerusalem. Dr. Appelbaum had gone out for coffee with his daughter Nava, 20, who was also killed in the blast, to celebrate the last night before her wedding. Dr. Appelbaum immigrated to Israel over 20 years ago from Cleveland, Ohio, and had served as medical director of Magen David Adom in Jerusalem.