One man was killed and 10 others wounded, all of them Palestinians, when an Arab bus enroute to Hebron was attacked by rocket fire in Jerusalem this afternoon. An Israel Defense Force-issue missile was-fired at the bus as it made its way along Bethlehem Road, not far from the Jerusalem railway station.
Alongside the rocket launcher, found nearby, was a handwritten note in Hebrew declaring the attack was an act of revenge for the murder near Bethlehem last week of an Israeli man and woman, allegedly by a resident of the Daheisha refugee camp acting out of “nationalist” motives.
The dead Palestinian was identified as Jemal Ismail El-Mattur, 20 years old. Five of the injured were released from Hadassah Hospital and from Mukatteb Hospital in the Old City where all 10 of the wounded were taken for treatment. According to Israel Radio, three Jews were picked up by police close to the scene of the attack.
PERES, BARLEV DENOUNCE THE ATTACK
Premier Shimon Peres expressed outrage at the attack. He said Israel will use every means available to track down the assailants and bring them to justice. He condemned all acts of terror.
Police Minister Haim Barlev vowed that Israel would “not acquiese” in “taking the law into private hands.” He told reporters that the note, which he said was written in flawed Hebrew, made it clear that the attack was carried out by a Jew or Jews. The note said the action had been taken because the government was not dealing properly with Arab terrorism and it pledged further such actions until the death penalty is instituted for terrorist murder.
Rabbi Moshe Levinger, leader of the Jewish settlers in Hebron, also blamed the government for inaction over Arab terror in Judaea and Samaria.
The murder last week — an execution-style shooting — took the lives of Revital Seri, 20, and Ron Levy, 24. It was committed near Beit Jalla, outside Jerusalem, where the two had been hiking. Police said the suspect, Issa Nimr Jibrin, 22, admitted the crime and said he had done it out of nationalistic motives.
Jibrin worked as a guard at the Jerusalem institute of Technology where he was able to steal an IDF rifle negligently left there by a yeshiva student soldier — and allegedly committed the double murder with this rifle.
Levy’s father, following today’s attack on the Palestinians, condemned all shedding of innocent blood.
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