This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/1360
December 5, 2005
http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=94220
| Palestinian Terrorism: Five Dead in Netanya 16:06 Dec 05 By Hillel Fendel |
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Second time in five months: A Palestinian suicide terrorist murders five people at the HaSharon Mall in Netanya. Some 50 were wounded, including at least three in critical condition. |
| The blast occurred at approximately 11:30 AM. Some 55 people are reported wounded in light and moderate condition. Approximately half of them were evacuated to Laniado Hospital in Netanya, and the others were taken to Hillel Yafeh in Hadera and Meir in Kfar Saba Large police forces flooded the area and erected checkpoints, causing large traffic jams, and helicopters were sent into the air, to try to track down those responsible for driving the murderer to the site. Two cars were reportedly seen speeding away from the site of the attack.
As has occurred many times in the past, the terrorist was unsuccessful in entering the mall, and was forced to detonate himself outside the building. A policewoman who was lightly wounded reported that a passerby alerted her to a suspicious figure, who began to run when she gave chase in her police car. "He was blonde, tall and holding a large bag. One of the [mall's] guards grabbed him by the shoulder, but I yelled, 'Forget the shoulder, get his hand!' because I saw that he had his hand in the bag. But then he blew himself up..." She said it was the seventh time she had been present at the scene of a terrorist attack. Other witnesses that the guard pushed the terrorist away from the entrance to the mall. Police Chief Moshe Karadi said the explosion occurred about ten meters from the mall entrance.
It is assumed that the Islamic Jihad is behind the murderous attack. The Palestinian Authority issued an immediate condemnation - but Israeli sources say it has almost never taken concrete action against the terrorists in its midst.
The HaSharon Mall has seen similar scenes before. Five months ago, on July 12, five people were killed when a suicide terrorist blew himself up outside the entrance to the mall. Close to 90 people were wounded. The 18-year-old murderer was a resident of Tul Karem, just a few kilometers to the east of Netanya. In May 2001, a suicide terrorist blew himself up in the same place, killing five. Less than a half-hour after the attack, commentators noted that once again, the controversial partition fence/wall had not succeeded in keeping the terrorists out. One surmisal is that the terrorist had simply hitched a ride into Netanya.
This was the fifth such attack this year. Just six weeks ago, a terrorist bombing in an open-air market in the city of Hadera, to the north of Netanya, killed five people and wounded more than 30. |
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=94255 Terror Victims' Names Released, IDF Mulling ReponseMonday, December 5, 2005 / 4 Kislev 5766
Those killed in Monday's attack are Alexander Zarnitzky, 65, from Netanya, Ilya Rosen, 38, from Bat Chefer, Daniel Golani, 45, from Nahariya and security guard Chaim Amram, 26, from Netanya.
The name of the fifth victim in the deadly bombing has not yet been released.
Residents of Netanya gathered at the site of the attack Monday evening to protest the security situation and perceived rewarding of Arab terrorism by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz, after consulting with IDF and intelligence officials, is asking Israel's Attorney General Menachem Mazuz to allow the IDF to resume destroying the homes of suicide-bombers.
Mofaz called the meeting following the bombing of Netanya's HaSharon Mall Monday, in which five were murdered and dozens injured.
If approved, the first family to have their home destroyed would be that of Jenin area-resident Lutfi Amin Abu Salem, the terrorist who the Islamic Jihad released a video of, claiming he was responsible for Monday's attack. Questions as to the bomber's identity remain, however. A police officer who witnessed the attack told reporters that the terrorist was a "tall, blond, good looking man," leading to suspicions that a European convert to Islam may have carried out the attack.
Following the meeting, a curfew was imposed banning Arabs from leaving PA-controlled areas in Judea and Samaria. The policy of targeted killings of terror leaders was also said to have been renewed.
The IDF used to routinely raze the homes of terrorists, a policy that caused some family members to turn in relatives planning attacks, but the army stopped doing so last February. The policy was originally enacted following the bombing of Hebrew University in 2002, in which seven were killed and seventy injured.
Mofaz also approved the targeted killing of terrorists behind the firing of Kassam rockets following attacks Sunday, leading critics to suggest that he is talking tough in order to improve his position ahead of the December 19th Likud primaries.
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http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=85645
MIM: A suicide bomber attack at a Netanya mall in July 2005 killed 3 and injured scores.
Terror Strikes Netanya Mall; Bomb Attempt at Shavei ShomronTuesday, July 12, 2005 / 5 Tammuz 5765
A suicide bomber blew himself up at the Sharon mall in Netanya early Tuesday evening.
The Sharon shopping mall in Netanya was attacked by an Arab suicide bomber around 6:30 Tuesday evening. Three persons were killed immediately and a fourth succumbed to her wounds Wednesday. Ninety people were wounded in the attack, some critically.
The bomber, who apparently was wearing an explosive belt or carrying a bag of explosives, was stopped before actually entering the mall.
Islamic Jihad took credit for the bombing. Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas met with Islamic Jihad leaders in Syria last week.
The Sharon mall was attacked by a suicide bomber a few years ago. In the previous attack, the bomber was also stopped by security guards before entering mall. Five persons were killed in that attack.
Police are checking whether the bomber came from the city of Tulkarem, which is controlled by the Palestinian Authority and located just a few kilometers east of Netanya. IDF forces withdrew from Tulkarem a few months ago and handed the city over to PA armed forces.
Israel conditioned the handover on the PA taking action to fight terrorism and disarming terror groups operating from the territory it controls.
In an earlier incident, a car bomb exploded near a soccer field in the community of Shavei Shomron, located a few kilometers east of Tulkarem. Nobody was injured in that attack. Police investigators suspect there may be a connection between the two attacks.
A manhunt has begun for a person suspected of taking the bomber to the Netanya mall.
This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/1360
