Israel Matzav

And again: Israeli murdered in terror attack, Kassams in the Negev

Twenty-nine-year old Ido Zoldan of Shavei Shomron was murdered last night around 11:00 - 11:30 PM in a terror attack between the Jewish towns of Kedumim and Karnei Shomron. A 'previously unknown group' that is 'an offshoot' of 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen's Fatah terror organization took responsibility for the attack. Abu Mazen learned the lesson of plausible deniability well from his master, Arafat. Arutz Sheva has more details:

Zoldan is survived by his wife Tehila and his two small children, three-year-old Aharon and one-year-old Rachel.

He was alone in his car when the terrorists drove their vehicle past and opened fire. Soldiers summoned to the scene closed off nearby roads and began searching for the attackers.

According to initial information, a terrorist cell was waiting in ambush in the area for Israeli vehicles. When the victim, who was riding alone, came into range, the enemy attackers sprayed the vehicle with gunfire. The driver was critically injured, with multiple gunshot wounds, and he apparently died within minutes.

The Fatah terrorist branch Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said it carried out the attack to demonstrate its opposition to the planned Annapolis, Maryland conference. IDF officials have warned that terrorists will increase their efforts to harm Israelis during the days leading up to the meeting. The conference will be held at some point in the next month, and according to recent reports could be held as early as next week. [There seems to be some controversy as to who perpetrated the attack. The JPost has it as the "Army of Gospels." But YNet also has it as al-Aqsa, and Haaretz has it as a 'group affiliated with al-Aqsa', which seems to agree with the JPost account. CiJ]

YNet adds:

His family is well-known in Kedumim. His father, Nahman Zoldan, is one of the biggest contractors in the West Bank's Jewish settlements.

Ido Zoldan was evacuated from the community of Homesh during the 2005 disengagement from Gaza. Since then he was active in the "Homesh First" group and was among those who went up to Homesh two years after the evacuation.

All of the papers are also reporting that the IDF foiled a terror attack in Netiv Haasara, in the western Negev, near the Gaza Strip last night, killing two out of three terrorists. A third terrorist fled, 'apparently' into the Gaza Strip.

Also yesterday, five Kassams and eighteen mortar shells were shot from Gaza into Israel. One came very close to hitting a home in Ashkelon. The statement of the day comes from Ashkelon Mayor Roni Mahatzri, as reported by Haaretz:

In response to the rocket fired into Ashkelon, the city's mayor, Roni Mahatzri, called on Prime Minister Ehud Barak to condition his participation in the upcoming Annapolis peace conference on the cessation of Qassam rocket fire into Israel from the Gaza Strip.

Ehud Barak has not been Prime Minister since 2001, and conditioning his participation in the Annapolis conference mugging is meaningless except to his political career. You know that to him, his political career is more important than the country. The same is true of the Prime Minister, Ehud K. Olmert.

The only thing that MIGHT stop Israeli participation in Annapolis is a terror attack with mass casualties (God forbid), and I'm afraid that even if that happened, the government would lecture us about how the terrorists 'enemies of peace' will not dictate government policies.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:39 AM