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2003 Route 60 vehicle shooting

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2003 Route 60 Hamas ambush
LocationRoute 60, West Bank, State of Palestine
Date20 June 2003
Deaths1 civilian
Injured3 Israeli civilians
PerpetratorHamas

On 20 June 2003, the Goldsteins, an Israeli family of four, were in a car on Route 60 in the West Bank headed towards Jerusalem when two Hamas members waiting in ambush on the roadside opened fire with AK-47s, hitting all four occupants. With the driver, Tzvi Goldstein, injured, the front passenger and father of the driver took the steering wheel and helped drive the car away from the gunmen and for a further eight miles in search of help before the car flipped over.[1][2][3]

Tzvi, an American-Israeli settler who had emigrated from the US a decade earlier, died of his injuries,[4] while his family all survived, though with varying degrees of injury,[5] after being taken to Hadassah Medical Center.[6]

Responsibility

Hamas immediately claimed responsibility for the shooting attack.[6] This claim, in 2003, was described by the Haaretz newspaper as "surprising," since, according to writer Amos Harel, before the attack, the "militant Islamic organization (Hamas) has almost completely avoided carrying out shootings in the West Bank, focusing instead on using suicide bombers, primarily within the Green Line.[6]

On 21 June, the Israel Defense Forces killed Abdullah Qawasmeh, who was believed to be the senior Hamas commander in the Hebron area.[7][8][9][10]

Immediate impact

The attack was also described as disruptive to the Road map for peace, an initiative involving United States Secretary of State Colin Powell, who was in Jerusalem at the time of the ambush.[11][12][failed verification][13][failed verification] According to Ian Fisher of The New York Times, the attack was interpreted "as a message to Mr. Powell, the Israelis and its Palestinian supporters that Hamas remains strong and very much active."[4]

Lawsuit

In 2004 Lorraine and Eugene Goldstein, who live in Plainview, New York, sued the Arab Bank for laundering money used to fund Hamas terror attacks targeting Israelis, including the attack in which his son, Howard, was killed.[14]

In 2006, the Goldsteins joined a group of 50 American victims of terrorism (survivors or relatives of people murdered by terrorists), suing three large international banks, Crédit Lyonnais, Arab Bank, and NatWest, alleging that all three banks were involved in channeling money to Hamas, which has been listed by the government of the United States as a terrorist organization since 1997.[5] The Anti-Terrorism Act enables American victims of acts of terrorism that take place outside the United States can sue for damages in federal courts.[1][15][3]

In August 2015, Arab Bank agreed to a confidential settlement with hundreds of American victims of terrorism, including the Goldsteins.[1][16]

References

  1. ^ a b c Clifford, Stephanie (14 August 2015). "Arab Bank Reaches Settlement in Suit Accusing It of Financing Terrorism". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Israeli-American Motorist Shot and Killed in West Bank". Fox News. AP. 20 June 2003. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Suing to stop terror funding". CBS News. 21 April 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  4. ^ a b Fisher, Ian (21 June 2003). "In Show of Defiance, Hamas Gunmen Kill Israeli Settler". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  5. ^ a b Preston, Julia (15 April 2006). "Hurt by Hamas, Americans Sue Banks in U.S." The New York Times. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  6. ^ a b c Harel, Amos (22 June 2003). "Man Killed, 3 Hurt in West Bank Shooting". Haaretz. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  7. ^ Harel, Amos (22 June 2003). "Top Hamas Man Killed in Hebron Raid". Haaretz. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  8. ^ Harel, Amos (23 June 2003). "PM: Qawasmeh Killing Was Essential". Haaretz. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  9. ^ "Israel kills Hamas fugitive". World Tribune. 22 June 2003. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  10. ^ "Hamas defies Powell plea". Deseret News. Knight Ridder. 21 June 2003. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  11. ^ Matza, Michael (21 June 2003). "As Powell seeks peace, Hamas kills man A sniper shot a motorist, and the group Powell called "an enemy of peace" claimed the act". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  12. ^ "Powell urges Israelis, Palestinians to move forward". CNN. 20 June 2003. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  13. ^ Segal, Naomi (23 June 2003). "Violence Flares As U.S. Sends Envoys". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  14. ^ Marzulli, John (7 July 2004). "Arab Bank Funneled Terror Funds - Suit". New York Daily News. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  15. ^ Riley, John (22 September 2014). "Jury finds Arab Bank liable in terror attacks in Israel and Palestinian territories". Newsday. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  16. ^ Fisher, Daniel (13 August 2015). "Jury Will Put A Price On Terrorism -- And Stick A Bank With The Bill". Forbes. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
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