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2011 Itamar attack

Coordinates: 32°10′20.57″N 35°18′29.62″E / 32.1723806°N 35.3082278°E / 32.1723806; 35.3082278
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32°10′20.57″N 35°18′29.62″E / 32.1723806°N 35.3082278°E / 32.1723806; 35.3082278

Itamar killings

Itamar
LocationItamar
DateMarch 11, 2011
Midnight (GMT+2)
TargetAn Israeli-Jewish family living in the Israeli settlement Itamar
Attack type
Stabbing attack
WeaponsKnife
Deaths5 (3 children)

The Itamar killings were an attack on a Jewish settler family in the Israeli settlement of Itamar in the West Bank, on 11 March 2011, in which five members of the same family were stabbed to death in their beds. The victims include the father, mother and three of their children, the youngest a three-month-old infant; two other children, who were also in the house, were not harmed.[1] The settlement of Itamar has been the target of several murderous attacks before.[2]

According to a first probe, there were serious failures in the functioning of the security forces at the settlement. As a result, the perpetrators who entered Itamar shortly after 9 p.m. on Friday night, remained in the settlement for three hours, and left, after having murdered five people, carrying two rifles they had stolen, without being noticed.[3]

The Guardian reported that the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, the dominant political faction in the West Bank, claimed responsibility for the attack,[4] whereas the Jerusalem Post reported, that the "Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades of Imad Mughniyeh" had claimed responsibility, a group named after a Hezbollah chief of military operations and liason with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards who was killed by a car bomb in Damascus in 2008. According to Al Hayat, officials of "Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades" denied association with the Imad Mughniyeh-group or the attack.[5]

Due to the characteristics of the killings, the Israel Defense Forces IDF believe that the attack was not carried out by an organized terrorist infrastructure but was the work of one or two people.[6]

The attack was harshly condemned by the United Nations, the Quartet on the Middle East, the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and many other countries. UK Foreign Secretary William Hague called it "an act of incomprehensible cruelty and brutality". Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad denounced "all types of violence".[7]

The attack

The Itamar settlement

Israeli authorities estimate that two murderers took part in the attack.[8] An initial probe showed serious failures in the functioning of the security forces at Itamar, and the pursuit of the perpetrators began very late. According to the probe, the fence around Itamar functioned properly. When the terrorists infiltrated, just after 9 p.m. on Friday night, an alarm sounded in the settlement's security room, indicating the exact location where they entered. But neither the settlement's civilian security team nor the civilian security officer, who went to the site of the disturbance and found nothing out of order, informed soldiers patrolling the area of the fence, although procedures prescribe that the IDF is to be informed of any alarm.

The perpetrators apparently waited for an hour near the house, entering it at around 10:30 p.m. They seem to have gone to the boys' room first and stabbed them. Then, after killing the mother, they moved to the parents' bedroom and murdered the father and the 3-month-old baby. Two other boys who were asleep in another room were not discovered by the perpetrators. The murderers left the house at around 11 p.m. without being detected.[9]

The bodies were discovered by the 12-year-old daughter of the family who arrived home around midnight after a youth outing.[10] After finding that the door was locked, she asked her neighbor, Rabbi Ya'akov Cohen, for help. He noticed tracks and mud near the house, and brought a weapon with him. The two then woke the sleeping 6-year old boy by calling through the window, and he opened the door, after which Cohen returned to his home. When the girl discovered the murders, she ran outside screaming, and the Rabbi ran back, firing several shots into the air to alert security personnel. Rabbi Cohen, who later entered the house with the girl, said that her two-year-old brother "was lying next to his bleeding parents, shaking them with his hands and trying to get them to wake up, while crying... The sight in the house was shocking."[4]

Paramedics followed a trail of toys and blood to the bedroom, where they discovered the first three bodies: the mother, father and infant. In the next room they found the body of the 11-year-old sibling. Finally they reached the last bedroom, where the 4-year-old boy was severely injured and dying. The toddler died of his wounds despite the efforts of medical personnel.[10]

Victims

The victims are five members of the Fogel family who had recently moved to Itamar. The family previously lived in the Gush Katif settlement in the Gaza Strip, which was evacuated in 2005, then moved to the settlement Ariel, and finally to Itamar.

  • Rabbi Udi Fogel, 36, former IDF tank unit officer, teacher in the post-high school yeshiva in Itamar[11]
  • Ruth Fogel, 35, his wife

and their three children:

  • Yoav Fogel, 11
  • Elad Fogel, 4
  • Hadas Fogel, 3 months

They are survived by three children, age 12, 6 and 2 who were being cared for by grandparents in the aftermath of the attack.[4]

Ruth Fogel's father is quoted as having said: "Our children are prepared to be sacrificed as an offering at the altar we have to continue to build to bring redemption. Udi and Ruthie wanted this redemption."[12]

On 13 March 2011, two days after the killings, the funeral of the five victims was held in Givat Shaul, Jerusalem, with some 20,000 people in attendance. Speakers included former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, quoted as saying: "We will not bend, we will not give up, we returned to the land of our fathers and it is our home, and the children shall return within their borders and nothing will prevent our faith in the righteousness of our path", Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, who, linking the murderers to Amalek, stated that "Itamar needs to become a major city in Israel as a response to this murder", and Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, whose final remarks were: "Build more, live more, more footholds – that is our response to the murderers so that they know – they can't defeat us".[13]

Responses

Israeli

Israeli authorities declared the nearby West Bank city of Nablus a closed military zone, set up checkpoints on the roads leading to the city and prevented vehicles and pedestrians from leaving or entering the city, according to Palestinians.[14] The previously-dismantled Huwwara Checkpoint was re-established.[9] The village of Awarta was also sealed off and declared a closed military zone, after IDF scouts discovered the footprints of the suspected perpetrators leading to the village. IDF troops entered Burqa village in northern Nablus, searching houses and questioning residents. They did not make any arrests.[14] IDF soldiers and Israel Border Police gendarmes also entered the villages of Awarta, Sanur, and Zabada, arresting several dozen Palestinians.[6]

Large Israeli military and police forces were deployed near Nablus to prevent clashes between Jewish settlers and Palestinians after the killings.[15] The following day, the Israel Police increased its presence in settler areas to counter possible retaliatory attacks by settlers against Palestinians. Around 100 police officers deployed in or around the Jewish Quarter and nearby Arab neighborhoods of Hebron and Kiryat Arba, and police and IDF forces also deployed in major intersections throughout the West Bank.

Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian property and residents in villages near Nablus, in parts of Hebron, and in areas around Bethlehem and Ramallah. The attacks were cited as acts of retaliation.[16] Israeli settlers handed out leaflets threatening the lives of villagers in Beitillu, near Ramallah, and damaged Palestinian property in Hebron.[17] Settlers blocked a junction in Gush Etzion, and threw stones at Palestinians. Several were arrested by IDF and police forces deployed on the scene. Israeli activists blocked an intersection near Psagot on Highway 60. Palestinians reported that settlers from Bat Ayin took part in the protest, and that Israeli Police had fired tear gas at Palestinians on the site. Palestinians also claimed that settlers entered the village of Huwwara and threw stones at residents. Settlers near Nablus and in the Kedumim area stoned and burned Palestinian vehicles, and reportedly blocked the Jit Junction.[18]

Small demonstrations against the attack broke out in Israel. Dozens of demonstrators appeared in the Horev, Tzabar, Megiddo, and Azrieli Junctions, carrying signs proclaiming "we are settlers too" and "peace isn't signed with blood". Numerous drivers honked in solidarity. Several dozen right-wing activists also protested near Jerusalem, chanting "revenge" and "death to Arabs", and carrying signs reading "the government destroys communities - the Arabs murder Jews". Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburg, President of the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva in Yitzhar issued a statement calling for the demolition of houses in a village near Itamar every 30 minutes until the residents turn the perpetrators in, and to "kill the murderers immediately after they are turned in".[18]

The following day, some 200 settlers marched from Itamar into Awarta to protest the killings, and some 14 infiltrated the village and threw stones at homes. IDF soldiers and Border Police gendarmes dispersed the rioters. A number of settlers also marched up a hill near Itamar to support the construction of a new settlement outpost there.[19]

Palestinian

Palestinians retaliated to settler attacks by throwing stones at Israeli vehicles in the West Bank,[20][failed verification] including a bus carrying mourners from the victims' funeral.[18][failed verification]

Palestinian residents of the village of Awarta, who have clashed with settlers from Itamar for a number of years, denounced the killings.[10]

In the Gaza Strip, the killings sparked some celebrations in the city of Rafah, where Palestinian residents handed out candy and sweets on the streets. A resident described the celebrations as "a natural response to the harm settlers inflict on the Palestinian residents in the West Bank."[7]

Reactions

Involved parties

 Israel:

  • President Shimon Peres said, "This is one of the ugliest and most difficult events that we have known, the murder of parents with their small children - among them a three-year-old boy, and a five-month-old baby girl - while they were sleeping in their beds. It shows the loss of humanity... There is no religion in the world, no faith that allows for such horrendous acts."[21]
  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he was "deeply shocked", and that he stands behind the residents of Judea and Samaria, adding: "We will not allow terror to determine the settlement map". He also told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that it was not enough to condemn the violence because it "is against Palestinian interests" but because it is morally unacceptable. "I expect that you stop the incitement in the schools, school books and mosques, and educate your children toward peace, as we do. The murder of children in their sleep is murder for the sake of murder."[22]

 Palestine:

  • Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, telephoned Prime Minister Netanyahu to condemn the attack.[4] In an interview with Israel Radio, he called it a despicable, immoral, and inhuman act, saing: "A human being is not capable of something like that". "Scenes like these - the murder of infants and children and a woman slaughtered - cause any person endowed with humanity to hurt and to cry."[23]
  • Palestinian Authority Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, said he "clearly and firmly denounces the terror attack, just as I have denounced crimes against Palestinians". During a tour in Bethlehem he said: "We are against all types of violence". "Our position has not changed. As we have said many times before, we categorically oppose violence and terror, regardless of the identity of the victims or the perpetrators."[7]
  • Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki rejected accusations that Palestinians were behind the attack, stating that "killing an infant and slaughtering four other people from the same family in such a way had never been done by a Palestinian under any name for revenge. This would leave so many question marks on why the Israelis had immediately accused the Palestinians of committing it.[24]
  • Hamas official Ezzat Al-Rashak denied Hamas' responsibility for the attack, saying "harming children is not part of Hamas' policy, nor is it the policy of the opposition factions."[25]
  • The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine called it "a heroic attack", saying that "this attack is a proof that the Palestinians are able to go ahead with armed resistance and overcome all difficulties to reach the targets".[26]
Supranational
  •  United Nations: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's office published a statement saying, "The Secretary-General condemns last night's shocking murder of an Israeli family of five, including three children, in a West Bank settlement. He calls for the perpetrators to be brought to justice, and for all to act with restraint."[27]
  • Quartet on the Middle East representative Tony Blair said, "this brutal and appalling murder is shocking and deplorable," and sent his "deepest condolences and sympathy to those remaining members of the family and to the community."[28]
International
  •  Australia: The Australian government condemned the attack and extended its condolences to the surviving family members and friends. Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd called the attack "a despicable act of terrorism" and said, "There can be no justification for the brutal murder of three innocent children and their parents."[29]
  •  Canada: Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said in a statement, "The brutal killing of five Israelis, including children, cannot be justified." He called the atrocities "heinous acts of terror" and demanded the full cooperation of the Palestinian Authority in holding the murderers accountable.[30]
  •  France: Foreign Minister Alain Juppe condemned the attack and said France "condemns all acts of violence in the occupied territories and calls for maximum restraint in order to prevent deterioration in the situation."[28]
  •  Germany: Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle condemned the "cruel and heinous" slayings, saying "nothing can justify such attacks."[28]
  •  Spain: The Foreign Ministry of Spain issued a statement condemning the attack "in the most energetic terms" and expressed hope that it would not lead to an escalation of violence in the region.[31]
  •  United Kingdom: Foreign Secretary William Hague said, "The friends and relatives of the family killed in Itamar have my deepest sympathies. This was an act of incomprehensible cruelty and brutality which I utterly condemn. We hope the perpetrator is swiftly brought to justice."[32]
  •  United States: White House spokesman Jay Carney said, "There is no possible justification for the killing of parents and children in their home. We call on the Palestinian Authority to unequivocally condemn this terrorist attack and for the perpetrators of this heinous crime to be held accountable."[33] Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, "I was shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the brutal murder of an Israeli family. The United States condemns this appalling attack in the strongest possible terms. To kill three innocent children and their parents while they sleep is an inhuman crime for which there can be no justification."[34]

New houses in settlements approved

In response to the Itamar attack, on March 13, the Israeli government approved the construction of several hundred housing units in the West Bank settlements and settlement blocs of Gush Etzion, Ma'ale Adumim, Ariel and Modi'in Illit, areas expected to be annexed to Israel.[35] The decision was taken in a late night government meeting, in which both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak took part, after several alternatives such as starting a new settlement, or widening the settlement of Itamar were rejected. The decision has brought harsh criticism from both the Palestinians and the United States.[36]

See also

References

  1. ^ Sherwood, Harriet (12 March 2011). "Five members of Jewish family killed in suspected Palestinian militant attack". Guardian. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  2. ^ Cohen, Gili (13 March 2011). "Itamar settlement has been a prime target for terror". haaretz. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  3. ^ Pfeffer, Anshel (13 March 2011). "Series of security failures led up to West Bank settlement attack, probe shows". Haaretz. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d Binyamin Netanyahu calls on world to act after killing of Jewish settlers, Guardian 13-03-2011
  5. ^ "'Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claims responsibility for attack'". Jerusalem Post. 13 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  6. ^ a b IDF hunting for perpetrators of brutal Itamar killings Jerusalem Post
  7. ^ a b c Gaza celebrates; Fayyad condemns terror attack, Israel News 12-03-2011
  8. ^ Itamar murders: Hunt for terrorists continues; police fear 'price-tag' acts
  9. ^ a b Harel, Amos; Pfeffer, Anshel; Issacharoff, Avi (13 March 2011). "Terrorists stab parents, three children to death in Itamar terror attack". Haaretz. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  10. ^ a b c Sanders, Edmund (13 March 2011). "Brutal West Bank killings shock Israel, stir fears of renewed violence". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 March 2011. Cite error: The named reference "latimes" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  11. ^ Ben Gedalyahu, Tvzi (13 March 2011). "Itamar Massacre Victims Expelled from Gush Katif in 'Peace Plan'". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  12. ^ "Israel approves settlement increase after family killed". CNN. 13 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  13. ^ Medzini, Ronen (13 March 2011). "20,000 attend Itamar massacre victims' funeral". CNN. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  14. ^ a b Israeli army closes Nablus city after deadly stabbing, Xinhua 12-03-2011
  15. ^ Israeli troops scour West Bank villages for killers of 5 Jewish settlers, Washington Post 12-03-2011
  16. ^ Bannoura, Saed. "Settlers Attack Palestinian Homes Near Nablus. Attacks Reported In Bethlehem, Hebron and Ramallah". Settlers Attack Palestinian Homes Near Nablus. Attacks Reported In Bethlehem, Hebron and Ramallah. imemc. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  17. ^ "Settler attacks against Palestinians escalate". Settler attacks against Palestinians escalate. Ma'an. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  18. ^ a b c "West Bank: Palestinian vehicles stoned, set on fire". Ynetnews. 13 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  19. ^ http://www.ynetnews.com/0,7340,L-4042286,00.html
  20. ^ Altman, Yair (13 March 2011). "Itamar murders: Hunt for terrorists continues; police fear 'price-tag' acts". Ynetnews. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  21. ^ Peres condemns attack on Itamar family, Israel News 12-03-2011
  22. ^ Hartman, Ben (12 March 2011). "Fogel family identified as victims of Itamar terror attack". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  23. ^ "Abbas: Itamar attack was despicable, immoral and inhuman". Haaretz. 14 March 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  24. ^ http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-03/13/c_13775401.htm
  25. ^ "Hamas denies responsibility for attack on Itamar family". ynetnews.com. 12 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  26. ^ Cite error: The named reference israelis was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  27. ^ UN Secretary-Generals condemns 'shocking' Itamar murder, Israel News 12-03-2011
  28. ^ a b c PM promises to bring Fogel family killers to justice, Jerusalem Post 12-03-2011
  29. ^ "Australia Condemns Murder Attack in Israel". J-Wire. 14 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  30. ^ "Mideast Quartet, Canada condemn West Bank killings". Yahoo!News Weekend Edition. AFP. 13 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  31. ^ "Spain condemns killing of Israeli settlers". Expatica.com. AFP. 13 March 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  32. ^ Hague calls Itamar attack 'act of incomprehensible cruelty', Jerusalem Post 12-03-2011
  33. ^ U.S. calls on Palestinians to condemn murder of Israeli family, AFP 12-03-2011
  34. ^ Clinton says Itamar attack 'inhumane crime', Israel News 12-03-2011
  35. ^ Ravid, Barak (13 March 2011). "Israel approves 500 new homes in West Bank settlements in response to Itamar attack". Haaretz. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  36. ^ Mozgovaya, Natasha (13 March 2011). "U.S.: Israel's approval of new West Bank homes counters peace efforts". Haaretz. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
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