Arab terrorists opened fire this morning in a drive-by shooting attack upon an Israeli male driver from Efrat. According to initial reports, he was struck in the head with two bullets, lost control of the vehicle, and smashed head-on into a truck traveling from Jerusalem towards the Gush Etzion block, just south of the nation\'s capital. The truck driver radioed for help, but when medics arrived upon the scene, they had only to pronounce the victim dead. Many bullets hit the vehicle. The victim has been identified as a resident of Efrat, married with six children. His name is not yet cleared for publication.
Local residents are shocked and horrified over another \"successful\" Arab terrorist attack, and demand that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer take immediate action to bring security to Israeli motorists on their way to work. On February 1, 2001, Dr. Shmuel Gillis, 42, of adjacent Carmei Tzur, was shot and killed in a similar attack on the same road. On February 11, 2001, Tzachi Sasson, 35, of nearby Kibbutz Rosh Tzurim, was also killed by Arab terrorists on the same road.
The attack occurred opposite the Arab village of el-Hader, a frequent location for the launching of terrorist attacks at Israeli vehicles. The IDF Commander of Judea and Samaria believes that the perpetrators of the murder took refuge in adjacent PLO-controlled Bethlehem. The IDF has renewed its closure upon the town of Bethlehem, which was removed just last week.
It has not yet been clarified if the assault rifles used in this morning\'s attack were those given to the PLO by the Rabin/Peres government, in the framework of the Oslo Agreements. Annex 1, Article IV of the Interim Agreement says that machine guns, rifles and pistols will be given to the PLO police for \"combating terrorism and violence, and preventing incitement to violence.\" In many cases, PLO policemen have used these weapons to perpetrate attacks against Israelis, instead of preventing them.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who is now in the Blair House, the official White House guest facility, was informed of the attack, as well as the mortar attack that occurred on Sunday night near Kibbutz Nahal Oz, north of Gaza. The prime minister has not yet issued an official statement.
Local residents are shocked and horrified over another \"successful\" Arab terrorist attack, and demand that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer take immediate action to bring security to Israeli motorists on their way to work. On February 1, 2001, Dr. Shmuel Gillis, 42, of adjacent Carmei Tzur, was shot and killed in a similar attack on the same road. On February 11, 2001, Tzachi Sasson, 35, of nearby Kibbutz Rosh Tzurim, was also killed by Arab terrorists on the same road.
The attack occurred opposite the Arab village of el-Hader, a frequent location for the launching of terrorist attacks at Israeli vehicles. The IDF Commander of Judea and Samaria believes that the perpetrators of the murder took refuge in adjacent PLO-controlled Bethlehem. The IDF has renewed its closure upon the town of Bethlehem, which was removed just last week.
It has not yet been clarified if the assault rifles used in this morning\'s attack were those given to the PLO by the Rabin/Peres government, in the framework of the Oslo Agreements. Annex 1, Article IV of the Interim Agreement says that machine guns, rifles and pistols will be given to the PLO police for \"combating terrorism and violence, and preventing incitement to violence.\" In many cases, PLO policemen have used these weapons to perpetrate attacks against Israelis, instead of preventing them.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who is now in the Blair House, the official White House guest facility, was informed of the attack, as well as the mortar attack that occurred on Sunday night near Kibbutz Nahal Oz, north of Gaza. The prime minister has not yet issued an official statement.