Jaffa Road bus bombings
The Jaffa Road bus bombings were attacks on two No. 18 buses in Jerusalem, Israel in 1996. Hamas suicide bombers killed 45 people in the attacks,[1] which were masterminded by Mohammed Deif, using explosives prepared by Adnan Awul.[2] These two bombings, within a few days of each other, occurred during a Hamas offensive launched after the killing of Yahya Ayyash, included the French Hill neighborhood attack, a suicide bombing in Ashkelon and a terrorist attack near Dizengoff centre in Tel Aviv.
First bombing
| Jaffa Road bus bombing (February 25, 1996) | |
|---|---|
.png) Aftermath of the Jaffa Road bus bombings | |
| Location | Jerusalem |
| Date | February 25, 1996 |
| Target | bus |
Attack type | suicide bomber |
| Deaths |
17 Israeli civilians 9 Israeli soldiers (+ 1 suicide bomber) |
Non-fatal injuries | 48 mostly civilians |
| Perpetrators | Palestinian assailant, trained, armed, and supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran.[3] Hamas claimed responsibility. |
On the morning of February 25, 1996, a suicide bomber blew himself up on a No.18 bus traveling down Jaffa Road near the Jerusalem Central Bus Station. 17 civilians and 9 Israeli soldiers were killed and 48, mostly civilians, injured.
In 2014 journalist Mike Kelly published "The Bus on Jaffa Road; A Story of Middle East Terrorism and the Search for Justice. Kirkus praised it as, "a spiral of horror and reckoning".[4]
According to Kelly, Yassir Arafat was aware of these planned bombings.[5]
The victims:[6]
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Murder planner
Hamas operative Hassan Salameh was captured by Israel in Hebron in May, 1996.[7] Israel, which has only once imposed a death penalty, sentenced Salameh to 46 consecutive life sentences for directing 3 mass-casualty attacks.[8] Salameh, a devout Muslim, has continued to maintain that he acted in a righteous manner in bombing civilian buses, saying, ""I believe what I did is a legitimate right my religion and all of the world gave me..." in 1997,[9] and in an interview almost 2 decades later.[10] According to Mike Kelly, Salameh was trained in Iran.[11]
Second bombing
| Jaffa Road bus bombing (March 3, 1996) | |
|---|---|
| Location | Jerusalem |
| Date | March 3, 1996 |
| Target | bus |
Attack type | suicide bomber |
| Deaths |
16 Israeli civilians 3 Israeli soldiers (+ 1 suicide bomber) |
Non-fatal injuries | 7 civilians |
| Perpetrators | Lone Palestinian assailant (Mohammed Abdo).[12] Hamas claimed responsibility. |
On the morning of March 3, 1996, a suicide bomber boarded another No. 18 bus, detonating an explosive belt that killed 16 civilians and three Israeli soldiers and wounded 7.
The victims:[13]
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Legal action
The families of United States victims Matthew Eisenfeld and Sarah Duker sued Iran for backing the attack, and won a US$327 million judgment in 2000. The Clinton Administration then blocked the families' efforts to seize certain Iranian assets in the United States.[14] As of 2006 collection efforts continue through legal process. The families, together with the family of another United States citizen killed in the same attack, now seek as much as US$900 million from Iran. In 2006 an Italian court domesticated the US court ruling, and temporarily froze Iranian assets. The plaintiffs have stated that they intend to pursue Iran through other European Union courts.[15]
See also
References
- ↑ Suicide and Other Bombing Attacks in Israel Since the Declaration of Principles (Sept 1993). Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- ↑ Terrorists Recently Released by the Palestinian Authority – 12-Oct-2000. Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- ↑ Kelly, Michael (2014). Bus on Jaffa Road: A Story of Middle East Terrorism and the Search for Justice. Lyons Press. p. 164-179.
- ↑ Kirkus (7 October 2014). "The Bus on Jaffa Road; A Story of Middle East Terrorism and the Search for Justice". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- ↑ Leichman, Abigail Klein (7 October 2014). "A Search for Justice". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- ↑ "Fatal Terrorist Attacks in Israel Since the Declaration of Principles". MFA. September 24, 2000. Retrieved 2011-09-22.
- ↑ Inquirer (19 May 1996). "Israel Arrests A Hamas Leader Hassan Salameh Was Shot And Wounded In A Chase. He Is Believed To Have Planned Three Of This Year's Bombings". Philadelphia Inquirer. INQUIRER WIRE SERVICES. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- ↑ TribuneNews (8 July 1997). "Israel Gives Islamic Radical 46 Life Sentences In Bombings". Chicago Tribune. Tribune News Services.
- ↑ LoLordo, Ann (31 March 1997). "Hamas' deadly defender Accused terrorist is a pariah to Israel, hero to Palestinians". Baltimore Sun. Sun Foreigh Staff. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- ↑ Leichman, Abigail Klein (7 October 2014). "A Search for Justice". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- ↑ Leichman, Abigail Klein (7 October 2014). "A Search for Justice". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- ↑ Katz, 279
- ↑ "Fatal Terrorist Attacks in Israel Since the Declaration of Principles". MFA. September 24, 2000. Retrieved 2011-09-22.
- ↑ U.S. Judge Orders Iran to Pay Families of Bombing Victims, New York Times, July 13, 2000
- ↑ Vicki and Leonard take on Iran, Jerusalem Post, April 28, 2006
