Jerusalem Post

Two Israelis slain by terrorists By Margot Dudkevitch

JERUSALEM (June 19) - Dan Yehuda, of Homesh, and Doron Zisserman, of Einav, were murdered and two others wounded in three terrorist shootings in Samaria yesterday.

The fatalities occurred as the IDF continued easing restrictions in the West Bank and Gaza, lifting internal blockades on villages and towns and opening roads to Palestinian traffic.

The Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip said it holds Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his government "responsible for the spilling of Jewish blood" and demanded he put an immediate end to the cease-fire.

"As long as the prime minister fails to implement the policies that were based on security and military agendas he promised us during the election, we will continue to bury our dead day after day," said Benzi Lieberman, head of the Samaria Regional Council.

Yehuda, 35, died instantly from a gunshot wound to the head as he drove on the road between Shavei Shomron and Homesh yesterday afternoon. His passenger, Alex Briskin, 17, suffered light to moderate wounds and was taken to Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba.

According to initial findings, two terrorists in a yellow Palestinian Mercedes taxi passed Yehuda's car, apparently to check the occupants, then drove on, turned around, and opened fire. They then returned to check if the car's occupants were dead.

Briskin told police he lay on the car floor, pretending he was dead, until the terrorists fled to the nearby autonomous area.

Last week, shots were fired at Yehuda's car on the Nablus bypass road. Bullets hit the car, but he was unharmed. Yehuda was buried at Moshav Bnei Ayash last night. The funeral cortege left Homesh for Jerusalem and then continued to the moshav.

As the cortege made its way to the Prime Minister's Office, another fatal attack occurred near Einav, west of Tulkarm. Zisserman, 38, the father of four, was shot in the head and neck by a terrorist standing on a hilltop east of the entrance to Einav. He died shortly after. The terrorist had opened fire at a convoy of three cars, hitting Zisserman, then shooting at the other cars.

"The terrorist stood and shot at the first car and then shot at the others," Yoram Mor-Yosef, who was driving the third car, told The Jerusalem Post. "I managed to fire back at him from my car; I hope I hit him."

Security forces and Magen David Adom arrived five minutes after the attack, he said, but attempts to revive Zisserman failed.

Late yesterday afternoon, a resident of Ateret, northwest of Ramallah, was shot in the legs as he drove near the community. According to initial reports, the shots were fired by terrorists in an ambush near the side of the road. He was taken to Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer, where his wounds were described as light.

As soldiers searched the area, shots were fired at them.

Late last night, two residents of Ateret and Neveh Tzuf were injured when they were stoned as they entered the nearby village of Umm Tsafa to vent their anger at the shootings.

Police also arrested six Jewish residents of Samaria who were found with two containers of gasoline, a knife, and a spike, and took them to the Ariel police station for questioning. Shortly afterward, some 30 Tapuah residents arrived, demanding their release. They tore down the police station gate and clashed with policemen.

Homesh's 45 families were plunged into shock as news of Yehuda's death spread.

Etty Rosenblatt said he had just completed refurbishing the living room in his house and hadn't even enjoyed it. "He moved here with his wife Siggie five years ago. She is the community's secretary, he's a contractor. They have three little children; the oldest is four. It is a tragedy," she said.

Yehuda's sister, Zahava, and her husband, Benny, are among the founding members of the community, she added.

"Homesh is one of Sharon's babies; he visited here in the late '80s. Now we are cannon fodder and Sharon's dead baby," she said. "Our community is on the road that links Nablus, Jenin, and Tulkarm. Not a day goes by without shots fired at the community or our cars. Many times the road is closed for hours because of bombs, leaving residents stranded for hours in their cars."

Last night in the Gaza Strip, shots were fired at an IDF post near Neveh Dekalim. Earlier, two anti-tank grenades and shots were fired at soldiers patrolling close to Rafah. Early yesterday morning two mortar shells were fired at an army post near Neveh Dekalim and two grenades at an IDF post near Rafah.

In the West Bank last night, shots were fired at an IDF vehicle on the Nablus bypass road; an exchange of gunfire ensued as soldiers pursued the terrorists. Shots were also fired at soldier near Kuchin, west of Nablus. Earlier, soldiers discovered a roadside bomb south of Yabed, north of Mevo Dotan. Sappers detonated it.

Earlier in the day, shots were fired at an IDF post near Salem in Samaria and at a vehicle near Beit Dajan. A bomb was discovered near Kuchin and detonated by sappers.

-- Anonymous, June 19, 2001