Israel Matzav

Terrorist's sister blames Israel for terror attack

On the morning of March 11, 1978, Dalal Mughrabi and her Palestinian Fedayeen unit of eleven members (including one other woman) landed by Zodiac boats on a beach near Ma'agan Michael north of Tel Aviv, having departed from Lebanon. They killed Gail Rubin, an American photographer who was taking nature photographs nearby, and then hijacked a bus full of Egged bus drivers and their families on a day outing, on the Coastal Highway.

While driving, Mughrabi and her unit opened fire at the vehicles in the vicinity. An Israeli army unit, headed by Ehud Barak, pursued the bus until it was finally stopped near Herzliya. A long shooting battle between the Palestinians and the soldiers ensued. The Palestinians started shooting the passengers that attempted to escape. Eventually, the Fatah members blew up the bus which became a large deathtrap of fire (the bus' shell, now in the Egged Museum in Holon, is pictured above). The attack left thirty five civilians, thirteen of them children, and six Palestinian guerillas killed (38 by some sources) and seventy-one civilians wounded. There is lack of certainty over the fates of all the Palestinian attackers. Extensive searches were undertaken in the Gush Dan area for additional attackers, but they weren't found and were likely killed. Some claim that 2 Palestinians, designated terrorists, were arrested by Israel.

The Palestinian Authority named a Hebron girls' school in honor of Mughrabi. Her name has also been given to summer camps and both police and military courses.

The attack was the immediate trigger for the Israeli Operation Litani against PLO bases in Lebanon three days later.

Mughrabi's sister Rashida is currently in Bethlehem attending the Fatah 'conference.' She blames Israel for 'forcing' her sister to carry out the Coastal Road massacre.

Speaking to an Israeli news outlet for the first time, Rashida Mughrabi, 52, told Ynet, "I have no regrets about what my sister did. The Israelis are the ones who forced her to carry out the attack because they expelled us and stole our lands. They caused us a great injustice by turning us into a nation of refugees, and, if it weren't for the occupation, Dalal would never have carried out the attack. Maybe she would have raised a family and pursued a career."

Rashida, who splits her time between Lebanon and Tunisia, is currently in Bethlehem for Fatah's sixth general congress.

"This is my first time in Palestine, and I can't put into words how I felt when I first set foot in the homeland," she said.

"Dalal did not (enter Israel) with the intent to kill. She came with a group of fighters who entered territory that was taken from them in order to free (Palestinians), but the intervention of the occupation's army led to the (end result)," said the sister.

"The objective was not to kill civilians, but to reach the Knesset and demand the release of Palestinian prisoners."

If that's true, why did they shoot at passing cars on the highway? For the fun of it? And by the way, note that this 'refugee' is 52-years old and has never been to 'Palestine' before. So how is she a 'refugee' under any normal definition of the word?

The Mughrabi family's roots are in Jaffa, and Rashida is certain that she will eventually visit the coastal city. "Even if I am hanged, I'll never recognize Israel, and if the Fatah congress votes on the resistance article (in Fatah's charter), I'll vote against revoking our right to resist as stated in the charter.

"Given the opportunity I'd return to my home, my father's home. It is true that I was born 10 years after the occupation, but I've imagined our home (in Jaffa) so often that I'll now how to reach it on my own," said Rashida.

In a message to Israelis, Rashida said, "Get out of our land and let us live. All of the land is ours, and if the Israelis choose to live with us we will not oppose it. They are welcome to live with us, but not as occupiers."

Peace is at hand? It sure doesn't look like it.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:43 PM