Israeli Killed by Terrorists Who Ambushed Him in Jenin

A curfew was clamped on three West Bank villages in the Samaria district after the ambush murder last night in Jenin of Israel Friedman, a 45-year-old truck driver from Pardess Hanna. Security forces set up roadblocks and began a house-to-house search for the killers in the villages of Siris, Mitloun and Zdeida south of Jenin.

Friedman’s truck carried Arab workers from the West Bank to and from jobs in Israel. According to police, his truck was ambushed by terrorists after he had dropped off the last of his passengers and was returning to the main road. He was shot and died instantly as his vehicle careened into a ditch. The terrorists set fire to the truck.

Police said the Friedman murder differed from similar incidents in the past in several important respects which indicated that the terrorists were better organized and bolder, According to police, the murderers apparently had Friedman’s truck under surveillance for several days, noting its time-table and route before they struck. Whereas in previous incidents the terrorists would shoot and run, last night they tarried at the scene of their crime long enough to set fire to the truck. Friedman, who was badly burned, was identified by documents on his body. He is survived by his wife and four children.

Police said the attack was apparently intended to frighten Arabs from taking Jobs in Israel. But it also could be the beginning of accelerated terrorist activities on the West Bank and elsewhere on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of Israel’s independence May 15, the authorities said.

Earlier this week, two terrorist assaults in Jerusalem killed Yaacob Beja, 37, and injured three other persons, including an 18-month-old child. The death and injuries were caused by a terrorist bomb which exploded Sunday in an apartment building. On Saturday, terrorists fired two Katyusha rockets into Jerusalem causing damage to buildings, but no injuries.