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Kahanist opens fire, kills 4 Israeli Arabs
Note that the crowd put him down and then imagine what would happen had he been a Paleo doing the same thing to Jews in the West Bank or Gaza.A Jewish extremist wearing an army uniform opened fire inside a bus Thursday, killing four Israeli Arabs and wounding 13 in the deadliest attack on Arabs in Israel since 1990. An angry crowd then killed the gunman. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon condemned the shootings as "a despicable act by a bloodthirsty terrorist." Security officials have warned that Jewish militants, desperate to sabotage Israel's upcoming pullout from Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank, might attack Arabs to deflect forces away from the Gaza withdrawal. "This cannot be disconnected from the pullout," retired army Gen. Yom-Tov Samia told Israel TV. Israel TV identified the gunman as Eden Tsuberi, 19, from the settlement of Tapuah in the West Bank. The attack took place in the Arab town of Shfaram in northern Israel, where a bearded gunman boarded the No. 165 bus and opened fire. Police said the gunman wore a skullcap, identifying him as an Orthodox Jew. The windows of the bus were shattered, and blood stained some of the seats. Two hours after the shooting, police with white plastic gloves fingerprinted a body on the floor, apparently that of the assailant. A policeman with a bullhorn stood near the body and addressed a crowd of thousands at the scene. Mohammed Barakeh, an Arab member of parliament, told Channel 10 from the scene that the dead were Arabs. "The victims are all residents of Shfaram, and today this town is mourning," he said. Israeli Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra called it a "terrible terror attack" and appealed for calm. The police commissioner, Moshe Karadi, said the killing could lead to further violence. Jewish settler leaders condemned the attack. Tapuah is one of the most extreme Jewish settlements, dominated by followers of U.S.-born Rabbi Meir Kahane, who believed in expelling Arabs from Israel and the West Bank. Kahane was assassinated in New York in 1990. Israel TV said Tsuberi was an army deserter who grew up in the Israeli city of Rishon Letzion and recently moved to the settlement. However, a statement from the settlers' council said the gunman did not live in Tapuah. Israeli Arab members of parliament called the shooting a "terror attack" by Jewish extremists. On Thursday, opponents of Israel's withdrawal ended their second mass protest after police blocked their plan to march into the Gaza Strip to reinforce the settlements. A few hundred protesters stayed in the town of Ofakim, including settlers' council head Bentsi Lieberman, who denounced the shooting. "Murder is murder is murder, and there can be no other response but to denounce it completely and express revulsion," he said. Police said Thursday they had detained 441 people trying to sneak into the Jewish settlements in Gaza, which have been sealed off. In Gaza City, meanwhile, about 10,000 Palestinians hoisting Palestinian flags and dancing in the streets, rallied at the parliament building Thursday to celebrate the withdrawal scheduled to begin Aug. 15. Dozens of gunmen fired in the air in celebration. "After 38 years of ugly occupation, they are leaving and they will never come back," Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia told the crowd. Posted by: Dan Darling 2005-08-04 |
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