[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 41 (Friday, April 15, 1994)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov] [Congressional Record: April 15, 1994] From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] MIDDLE EAST ______ HON. JIM SAXTON of new jersey in the house of representatives Thursday, April 14, 1994 Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, There is no doubt that honest, sincere people on both sides of the peace talks in the Middle East want a peaceful, diplomatic solution in that area. But, as the most recent and horrifying act of terrorism in the town of Afula suggests, there are people and groups who want no solution in the Middle East that does not include blood and devastation. Constituents in my district often ask, as I'm sure they do in everyone's district, ``What is our stake in the Middle East? Why are we involved there?'' One need not travel farther than Manhattan or Brooklyn in New York to find an answer to that question. The same groups who preach hate and blood revenge exhibited their brand of public relations by blowing up a bomb in the World Trade Center. And it is rumored that these same groups may be involved in the attempted murder of a busload of American schoolchildren. What is this Government doing about the spread of well-financed and well-organized terrorist cells in the United States? I am inserting in the Record the names of civilians murdered in Israel since the signing of the Declaration of Principles, the so- called Middle East Peace Accord in September, 1993. These are names like Mizrahi, Vaknin, Ozana. Over 30 civilians murdered in over 22 terrorist attacks in 7 months. Will this Government step up its investigation of these groups who have already attacked Americans when the roll call of their dead starts reading Smith or Jones? Or will this Government move decisively against these groups before more Americans are added to the list? Attacks Against Israeli Citizens Since the Signing of the Declaration of Principles Since the signing of the Declaration of Principles between Israel and the PLO on September 13, 1993, 39 Israeli civilians and soldiers have been killed in terrorist attacks, as follows: In Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip--14 civilians and 5 soldiers; within the Green Line--19 civilians and 1 soldier. Civilians Sep. 24, 1993--Yigal Vaknin was stabbed to death in an orchard near the trailer home where he lived near the village of Basra. A squad of the HAMAS' Iz a-Din al Kassam claimed responsibility for the attack. Oct. 9, 1993--Dror Forer and Aran Bachar were murdered by terrorists in Wadi Kelt in the Judean Desert. The Popular Front and the Islamic Jihad `Al-Aqsa Squads' each publicly claimed responsibility. Oct. 29, 1993--Chaim Mizrahi, resident of Beit-El, was kidnapped by three terrorists from a poultry farm near Ramallah. He was murdered and his body burned. HAMAS publicly claimed responsibility for the attack. Nov. 7, 1993--Efraim Ayubi of Kfar Darom, Rabbi Chaim Druckman's personal driver, was shot to death by terrorists near Hebron. HAMAS publicly claimed responsibility for the murder. Nov. 9, 1993--Salman `Id el-Hawashla, age 38, an Israeli Bedouin of the Abu Rekaik tribe who was driving a car with Israeli plates, was killed by three armed men driving a truck hijacked from the Gaza municipality, in a deliberate head-on collision. Dec. 1, 1993--Shalva Ozana, age 23, Yitzhak Weinstock, age 19, were shot to death by terrorists from a moving vehicle, while parked on the side of the road to Ramallah because of engine trouble. Weinstock died of wounds the following morning. Iz a-Din al Kassam claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that it was carried out in retaliation for the killing by Israeli forces of Imad Akel, a wanted HAMAS leader in Gaza. Dec. 6, 1993--Mordechai Labpid and his son Shalon Lapid, age 19, were shot to death by terrorists near Hebron. HAMAS publicly claimed responsibility for the attack. Dec. 22, 1993--Eliahu Levine and Meir Mendelovitch were killed by shots fired at their car from a passing vehicle in the Ramallah area. HAMAS claimed responsibility. Dec. 23, 1993--Anatoly Kolisnikov, an Ashdod resident employed as a relief watchman at a construction site there, was stabbed to death while on duty. Dec. 31, 1993--Chaim Weizman and David Bizi were found murdered in a Ramle apartment. ID cards of two Gaza residents were found in the apartment, together with a leaflet of the Popular Front `Red Eagle' group, claiming responsibility for the murder. Jan. 12, 1994--Moshe Becker of Rishon Le-Zion was stabbed to death by three Palestinian employees while working in his orchard. The Popular Front claimed responsibility for the murder. Jan. 14, 1994--Grigory Ivanov was stabbed to death by a terrorist in the industrial zone at the Erez junction, near the Gaza Strip. HAMAS claimed responsibility for the attack. Feb. 9, 1994--Ilan Sudri, a taxi driver, was kidnapped and murdered while returning home from work. The Islamic Jihad Shekaki group sent a message to the news agencies claiming responsibility for the murder. Feb. 10, 1994--Nafrali Sahar, a citrus grower, was murdered by blows to his head. His body was found in his orchard near Kibbutz Na'an. Feb. 17, 1994--Yuval Golan, stabbed on December 29, 1993 by a terrorist near Adarim in the Hebron area, died of his wounds. Feb. 19, 1994--Zipora Sasson, resident of Ariel and five months pregnant, was killed on the trans-Samaria highway in an ambush by shots fired at her car. The terrorists were members of HAMAS. Feb. 25, 1994--Sam Eisenstadt, age 80, was assaulted with an axe in the center of Kfar Saba. He died of his wounds shortly afterwards. Mar. 23, 1994--Victor Lashchiver, employed as a guard at the Income Tax offices in East Jerusalem, was shot and killed near Damascus Gate on his way to work. The Popular Front claimed responsibility for the attack. Mar. 29, 1994--Yitzhak Rothenberg, age 70 of Petah Tikva, was attacked on a construction site by two residents of Khan Yunis by axe blows to the head. He died several days later of his wounds. The murderers, apprehended the next day, stated that they carried out the attack in order to clear themselves of suspected collaboration with the Israel authorities. Mar. 31, 1994--Yosef Zandani, age 28 of Bnei Ayish, near Gedera, was found murdered in his apartment. Near the body was a leaflet of the DFLP ``Red Star'', explaining that the murder was carried out in revenge for the shooting of one of its members by an Israeli citizen. The Israeli acted in self- defense. Apr. 6, 1994--Asher Attia, 48, of Afula, bus driver; Vered Mordechai, 13, of Afula; Maya Elharar, 17, of Afula; Ilana Schreiber, 45, a teacher from Kibbutz Nir David; Meirav Ben- Moshe, 16, of Afula; Ayala Vahaba, 40, a teacher from Afula; and Fadiya Shalabi, 25, of Iksal were killed in a car-bomb attack on a bus in the center of Afula. HAMAS claimed responsibility for the attack. Apr. 7, 1994--Yishai Gadassi, age 32 of Kvutzat Yavne, was shot and killed at a hitchhiking post at the Ashdod junction by a member of HAMAS. The terrorist was killed by bystanders at the scene. soldiers and security personnel Oct. 24, 1993--Two IDF soldiers, Staff Sergeant (res.) Ehud Rot, age 35, and Sergeant Ilan Levi, age 23, were killed by a HAMAS Iz a-Din al Kassam squad. The two entered a Subaru with Israeli license plates outside a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip, whose passengers were apparently terrorists disguised as Israelis. Following a brief struggle, the soldiers were shot at close range and killed. HAMAS publicly claimed responsibility for the attack. Nov. 17, 1993--Sergeant First Class Chaim Darina, age 37, was stabbed by a Gazan terrorist while seated at the cafeteria at the Nahal Oz road block at the entrance to the Gaza Strip. The perpetrator was apprehended. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the murder. Dec. 5, 1993--David Mashrati, a reserve soldier, was shot and killed by a terrorist attempting to board a bus on route 641 at the Holon junction. The Islamic Jihad Shekaki group claimed responsibility for the attack. Dec. 24, 1993--Lieutenant Colonel Meir Mintz, commander of the IDF special forces in the Gaza area, was shot and killed by terrorists in an ambush on his jeep at the T-junction in Gaza. The HAMAS Iz a-Din al Kassam squads publicly claimed responsibility for the attack. Feb. 13, 1994--Noam Cohen, age 28, member of the General Security Service, was shot and killed in an ambush on his car. Two of his colleagues who were also in the vehicle suffered moderate injuries. HAMAS claimed responsibility for the attack. ____________________