Tanzim commander Raed al-Karmi was killed this morning in Tul Karem, east of Netanya. Arab sources report that the car he was traveling in exploded. IDF sources denied involvement in the explosion and attributed his death to an apparent premature detonation of a car bomb which he was preparing.
Al-Karmi was wanted by Israel for the murder of at least nine Israelis, including the January, 2001 kidnapping and murder of two cousins, Moti Dayan and Etgar Zaytuni, who went out to eat with an Israeli Arab friend in PLO-controlled Tul Karem. They were abducted from the restaurant, taken to an open field, interrogated and then shot many times in the head and chest. Zaituna and Dayan owned a restaurant on Sheinkin St. in Tel Aviv. See a
full account of Karmi\'s terrorist career.
In a CNN interview on August 23, 2001, Karmi said, \"We train the teenagers to carry out terrorist attacks inside Israeli territory. We train 17 and 18-year-olds to attack settlers and kidnap soldiers from inside Israel.\" In other interviews, Karmi boasted of his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of the two Israeli restaurant owners, Zaituna and Dayan.
Immediately following the murder, the PLO arrested Karmi and his accomplices but released them a month later. The IDF sources said today that it was puzzling that Karmi was riding in his car, since the PLO recently reported to the European Union that Karmi was in one of their prisons.
The Tanzim terrorist survived two previous attempts on his life. On Sept. 6, 2001, two Apache helicopters fired four missiles at a jeep he was traveling in. Two terrorists with Karmi were killed, and he was moderately wounded.
The last elimination of a terrorist which Israel claimed responsibility for was in Hevron two months ago.
Later, thousands of Arabs in Tul Karem gathered in a demonstration, blaming Israel for the death and calling for revenge. In the afternoon, Arabs shot numerous rounds at the nearby Jewish town Bat Hefer. Bullets penetrated one home and caused a clothes closet to catch fire. IDF soldiers returned fire.
Al-Karmi was wanted by Israel for the murder of at least nine Israelis, including the January, 2001 kidnapping and murder of two cousins, Moti Dayan and Etgar Zaytuni, who went out to eat with an Israeli Arab friend in PLO-controlled Tul Karem. They were abducted from the restaurant, taken to an open field, interrogated and then shot many times in the head and chest. Zaituna and Dayan owned a restaurant on Sheinkin St. in Tel Aviv. See a
full account of Karmi\'s terrorist career.
In a CNN interview on August 23, 2001, Karmi said, \"We train the teenagers to carry out terrorist attacks inside Israeli territory. We train 17 and 18-year-olds to attack settlers and kidnap soldiers from inside Israel.\" In other interviews, Karmi boasted of his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of the two Israeli restaurant owners, Zaituna and Dayan.
Immediately following the murder, the PLO arrested Karmi and his accomplices but released them a month later. The IDF sources said today that it was puzzling that Karmi was riding in his car, since the PLO recently reported to the European Union that Karmi was in one of their prisons.
The Tanzim terrorist survived two previous attempts on his life. On Sept. 6, 2001, two Apache helicopters fired four missiles at a jeep he was traveling in. Two terrorists with Karmi were killed, and he was moderately wounded.
The last elimination of a terrorist which Israel claimed responsibility for was in Hevron two months ago.
Later, thousands of Arabs in Tul Karem gathered in a demonstration, blaming Israel for the death and calling for revenge. In the afternoon, Arabs shot numerous rounds at the nearby Jewish town Bat Hefer. Bullets penetrated one home and caused a clothes closet to catch fire. IDF soldiers returned fire.