Jaffa Road bus bombings
1996 terrorist attack in Israel
31°47′20″N 35°12′20″E / 31.78889°N 35.20556°E / 31.78889; 35.20556Attack type
9 Israeli soldiers (+1 attacker)
Terrorist attacks were carried out on two No. 18 buses on Jaffa Road in Jerusalem, in 1996. Hamas suicide bombers killed 45 people in the attacks,[2] which were masterminded by Mohammed Deif, using explosives prepared by Adnan Awul.[3] These two bombings, within a few days of each other, occurred during a Hamas offensive launched after the killing of Yahya Ayyash, which also included the French Hill neighborhood attack, a suicide bombing in Ashkelon, and a terrorist attack near Dizengoff Center in Tel Aviv.
First bombing
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 Reviews praised it as, "a spiral of horror and reckoning".[4]
According to Kelly, Yassir Arafat was aware of these planned bombings.[5]
Attack planner
Hamas operative Hassan Salameh was captured by Israel in Hebron in May, 1996.[6] Israel, which has only once imposed a death penalty, sentenced Salameh to 46 consecutive life sentences for directing 3 mass-casualty attacks.[7] 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,[8] and in an interview almost 2 decades later.[5] According to Mike Kelly, Salameh was trained in Iran.[5]
Second bombing
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.
| Jaffa Road bus bombing (March 3, 1996) | |
|---|---|
 The attack aftermath | |
| Location | Jerusalem |
| Date | March 3, 1996; 28 years ago (1996-03-03) |
Attack type | Suicide bomber |
| Deaths | 16 Israeli civilians 3 Israeli soldiers (+1 attacker) |
| Injured | 7 civilians |
| Perpetrator | Hamas claimed responsibility |
| Assailant | Mohammed Abdo[9] |
| Participant | 1 |
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.[10] The Clinton Administration then blocked the families' efforts to seize certain Iranian assets in the United States.[10] As of 2006 collection efforts continue through legal process.[10] 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.[10] In 2006 an Italian court domesticated the US court ruling, and temporarily froze Iranian assets.[10] The plaintiffs have stated that they intend to pursue Iran through other European Union courts.[10]
Gallery
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Commemorative plaque for the victims of the first bus bombing -
Commemorative plaque for those who were killed in the second bombing
See also
References
- ^ Kelly, Michael (2014). Bus on Jaffa Road: A Story of Middle East Terrorism and the Search for Justice. Lyons Press. pp. 164–179.
- ^ 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
- ^ Kirkus (October 7, 2014). "The Bus on Jaffa Road; A Story of Middle East Terrorism and the Search for Justice". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- ^ a b c Leichman, Abigail Klein (October 7, 2014). "A Search for Justice". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- ^ Inquirer (May 19, 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". The Philadelphia Inquirer. INQUIRER WIRE SERVICES. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- ^ TribuneNews (July 8, 1997). "Israel Gives Islamic Radical 46 Life Sentences In Bombings". Chicago Tribune. Tribune News Services.
- ^ LoLordo, Ann (March 31, 1997). "Hamas' deadly defender Accused terrorist is a pariah to Israel, hero to Palestinians". The Baltimore Sun. Sun Foreign Staff. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
- ^ Katz, 279
- ^ a b c d e f Horovitz, David (April 28, 2006). "Vicky and Leonard take on Iran". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
External links
- Fatal Terrorist Attacks in Israel Since the DOP (Sept 1993)
- v
- t
- e
Prominent terrorist attacks against Israelis in the history of the Arab–Israeli conflict – the 1990s
- Cairo bus attack (February 4)
- Assassination of Meir Kahane (November 5)
- Ein Netafim ambush (November 26)
- Night of the Pitchforks (February 14)
- Buenos Aires Israeli embassy bombing (March 17)
- Murder of Helena Rapp (May 24)
- Abduction and killing of Nissim Toledano (December 13)
- Mehola Junction bombing (April 16)
- Abduction and killing of Yaron Chen (August 5)
- Afula bus bombing (April 6)
- Hadera bus station bombing (April 13)
- London embassy bombing (July 26)
- Abduction and killing of Nachshon Wachsman (October 14)
- Dizengoff Street bus bombing (October 19)
- Netzarim Junction bicycle bombing (November 11)
- Afula axe attack (November 30)
- Beit Lid bombing (January 22)
- Kfar Darom bus attack (April 9)
- Ramat Gan bus bombing (July 24)
- Jerusalem bus 26 bombing (August 21)
- First Jaffa Road bus bombing (February 25) ‡
- Second Jaffa Road bus bombing (March 3)
- Dizengoff Center bombing (March 4)
- Murder of Yaron and Efrat Ungar (June 9)
- Island of Peace massacre (March 13)
- Café Apropo bombing (March 21)
- Mahane Yehuda bombings (July 30)
- Ben Yehuda Street bombing (September 4)
Attacks launched from the West Bank Attacks launched from the Gaza Strip Attacks launched from Lebanon Attacks launched from Jordan Attacks launched from Egypt 
2000s
‡ indicates the terrorist attack which caused the greatest amount of Israeli casualties during the 1990s
2000s
Prominent Palestinian militancy attacks in the 1990s | |
|---|---|
| Within Israel |
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| West Bank |
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| Gaza Strip |
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1 Attacks launched from Lebanon 2 Attacks launched from the West Bank 3 Attacks launched from the Gaza strip 1980s 2000s | |
