Raising the Israeli death toll yet again this week, Islamic terrorists opened fire on a passing car near the West Bank town of Hebron, killing a rabbi and wounding an Israeli policeman.
“It is another detestable murder,” Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin told reporters following the attack on Sunday.
The Islamic fundamentalist movement Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, which came a day before Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization were due to hold talks in Brussels on implementing the next phase of the self-rule accord.
It also came as Hamas continued to compete with Yasser Arafat and his Palestinian Authority for support among Palestinians.
At a rally in Gaza City on Saturday, an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 Islamic militants gathered to demonstrate against Israel and voice their anger at Arafat.
The rally was seen as a response to a Gaza City rally on Nov. 21 at which some 10,000 demonstrators, many of them armed, had shown their support for Arafat.
Under an agreement worked out earlier between Hamas and Arafat’s self-rule government, the Palestinian police agreed to avoid any confrontations with the demonstrators as long as the militants refrained from any open display of weapons.
The rally proceeded without violence, in contrast to the Nov. 18 confrontation in Gaza City between Hamas demonstrators and Palestinian police that resulted in the deaths of 14 Palestinians and the wounding of at least 200 others.
In a clear promise to launch more terrorist attacks, militants at Saturday’s rally said they did not bring their guns with them “because we are saving our bullets for the Israelis.”
One day later, the bullets flew as gunmen opened fire on a white Subaru driving from Hebron to the settlement of Otniel in the Hebron Hills.
Rabbi Ami Olami, 36, the father of five and the spiritual leader of Otniel, was killed.
His passenger, police officer Ehud Yitzhak, was wounded in the head. After he fired shots in the air to get help, a passing vehicle picked him up. He was later taken to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, where his wounds were described as moderate to light.
Jewish settler leaders blamed the government’s peace policies for the attack and said it only strengthened their resolve to stay put.
Government ministers later quoted the Israel Defense Force chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Ehud Barak, as telling the Cabinet during its weekly meeting Sunday that he expected terrorist attacks to increase. Barak also reportedly said that he though the attacks would become more sophisticated.
Also at the Cabinet meeting, Rabin denied media reports that he would consider a temporary removal of IDF forces from West Bank population centers for three days in order to let the Palestinians hold elections immediately.
The Hebrew daily newspapers Ha’aretz, Yediot Achronot and Ma’ariv quoted senior government sources as saying that Rabin had told reporters accompanying him to the United States last week that he would be ready for the move if the Palestinian Authority pledged to permit the army to return after the three days.
In response, the opposition demanded that the prime minister not allow Palestinian elections to proceed.
Moshe Katsav, chairman of the Likud Caucus, said that even if the elections did go ahead, Rabin should not approve any Israeli troop withdrawal.
Denying the reports on Sunday, Rabin said he would consult with the Israeli defense establishment before approving any redeployment of Israeli troops in the West Bank.
The question of elections and troop redeployment was on the agenda as Israel and the Palestinians prepared to resume talks on the next phase of self-rule this week.
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Arafat were scheduled to discuss autonomy issues during a meeting of donor nations in Brussels. Peres and Arafat also were expected to try to encourage nations that had pledged millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinian Authority to make good on their promises.
Meanwhile, Palestinian violence spread to Lebanon last Friday, where fighters loyal to Arafat attacked Palestinian fundamentalists at Ein Hilweh, the country’s largest refugee camp and home to at least 60,000 Palestinians.
Before the day was over, at least seven Palestinians were killed and dozens of other wounded in the fierce fighting in the camp.
The street battles ended with Arafat loyalists in control of the eastern sector of the camp and rival factions in charge of the western portions, according to local reports.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
