A military funeral was held yesterday for Col. Yosef Alon. 43, the Air Attache at the Israel Embassy In Washington who was murdered Sunday morning outside his home in suburban Bethesda, Maryland. Six Army colonels served as pall bearers in the funeral procession which began at Tel Hashomer Hospital and ended at the Tel Aviv military cemetery.
Defense Minister Moshe Dayan cuologized the slain diplomat and Air Force pilot and repeated his warning that Israel intends to strike back at terrorists wherever they are.
“Israel is too small a country to assume upon itself the task which the world at large should do in combatting terrorism. Nevertheless, we do not claim we are unable to act. Action should be taken against the terrorists and against those countries that are but schools for the terrorists or which finance the murders,” Gen. Dayan said.
(Investigations of the Alon murder by the FBI and the Montgomery County, Md. police so far have not come up with evidence that the crime was politically motivated. Federal authorities in the U.S. are reportedly checking into the activities of known Arab sympathizers in connection with the case.)
Col. Alon’s funeral was attended by Chief of Staff Gen. David Elazar and Air Force Commander Gen. Benjamin Peled. The Chief Army Chaplain officiated.
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