Mayor Teddy Kollek expressed shock and sorrow today over the terrorist bomb attack on a tour bus in Nablus last night that took the lives of two young German visitors and injured six others, at least one of them seriously. Kollek said the outrage was all the more appalling inasmuch as the victims were members of “Akzion Suehnezeichen” (Movement of Atonement and Peace), a group that does volunteer work in countries that suffered directly or indirectly from Nazi oppression. It is active in many lands, including Israel and the Arab countries.
The group of 34 in the bus had been visiting Christian holy places in Galilee and were returning their hostel in East Jerusalem when a pipe bomb filled with headless nails was thrown into the bus that had stopped briefly in Nablus’ main square.
The dead were identified as Kristoff Graber, 19, and Sousanne Chahn, 20. The injured were treated first at a local hospital and flown by helicopter to Tel Hashomer Hospital in Tel Aviv. One young woman taken to a military hospital was reported to be in a serious condition. The bus belonged to the Orient Taxi Service, an Arab-owned firm in East Jerusalem.
Kollek, who leaves for Cologne, West Germany, Saturday to open festivities related to Israel’s 30th anniversary, expressed hope that the murders in Nablus would not deter the group from continuing its humanitarian pursuits. He noted that several European countries, including West Germany, tended to disregard the murderous nature of the Palestine Liberation Organization. The tragedy in Nablus was a reminder, he said. The curfew imposed in Nablus after the bombing remained in force today but apart from a few violators, no arrests were reported.
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.
