Misplaced Pages

Murders of Koby Mandell and Yosef Ishran: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 21:45, 20 March 2011 editRoscelese (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers35,788 edits unencyclopedic pathos; minor grammar fixes← Previous edit Latest revision as of 22:43, 28 December 2024 edit undoDavidgoodheart (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users152,811 edits →External links 
(251 intermediate revisions by 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|2001 murders of two Israeli teenagers}}
{{Article for deletion/dated|page=Stoning murder of Israeli teens|timestamp=20110318190949|year=2011|month=March|day=18|substed=yes|help=off}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
] ] carried out the '''stoning murder of Israeli teens''' ] and Yosef Ishran on May 8, 2001. The boys were stoned to death, and "their heads had been smashed in by rocks".<ref name=JPost/> State Department spokesman ] called the killings of the Israeli boys "horrible, brutal." Pope ], speaking in ], said he was saddened by "news from the Holy Land of terrible violence even against innocent young people."<ref name=USA/><ref name=Mail/> Journalist ] said "The details of the butchery are unspeakable."<ref name=JPost1/>
| title = Murders of Koby Mandell and Yosef Ishran
| map = {{location map|Israel south wb|lat_deg=31|lat_min=38|lat_sec=40|lon_deg=35|lon_min=14|lon_sec=08|caption=The attack site}}
| native_name = רצח הנערים מתקוע
| caption =
| location = Outskirts of the ] of ]
| target =
| date = {{start date and age|2001|05|08|df=yes}}
| native_name_lang = heb
| coordinates = {{coord|31|38|40|N|35|14|08|E|display=inline,title}}
| time-begin =
| time-end =
| timezone =
| type = Kidnapping, stabbing attack, ]
| fatalities = 2 Israeli teenage civilians
}}


The '''murders of Koby Mandell and Yosef Ishran''' occurred on 8 May 2001, when two Jewish teenagers, Yaakov "Koby" Mandell and Yosef Ishran, were killed on the outskirts of the ] of ] in the ], where they lived with their families. The identity of the killers has never been determined, though Israel and a number of sources state that unidentified Palestinian terrorists were responsible.<ref name="mfa010509">{{cite web|url=http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/ForeignPolicy/Terrorism/Victims/Pages/In%20Memory%20of%20the%20Victims%20of%20Palestinian%20Violence%20a.aspx|title=Ya'acov (Kobi) Mandell, Yosef (Yossi) Ish-Ran, May 9, 2001 // In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel|publisher=mfa.gov.il|access-date=23 September 2015}}</ref><ref name=DeadlyReality>{{cite web|title=The Deadly Reality of Palestinian Rock Throwing|url=https://www.idfblog.com/blog/2014/02/24/deadly-reality-palestinian-rock-throwing/|publisher=]|date=2014-02-24|access-date=20 September 2015}}</ref><ref>see "Responsibility"</ref>
==Disappearance and discovery of the bodies==
] and Yosef Ishran were two Israeli teens, 13 and 14 years old. Koby was a citizen of both ] and ]. The boys lived and attended school in ].<ref name=JPost/><ref name=USA/>


Koby Mandell was an ], his ] having emigrated from the United States to Israel in 1996, and the murders resulted in legislation by the U.S. Congress aimed at strengthening the U.S. response to the killing of Americans overseas. In response to his death, Koby's parents set up the '''Koby Mandell Foundation''' to provide support for families bereaved by terrorist attacks.
On May 8, 2001, the boys skipped school and went hiking in the ] surrounding their village.<ref name=Guardian/> At first, their parents did not worry about the boys. They believed that they had gone to ] to take part in an anti-government demonstration, but when the boys did not come home by 12 a.m., their parents informed the authorities.<ref name=JPost/> <ref name=USA/>


==Disappearance and discovery==
The bodies of two boys were discovered the next day in a cave near the ] settlement where they lived. '']'' reported that, according to the police, both boys had "been bound, stabbed and beaten to death with rocks". ''USA Today'' continued, "The walls of the cave in the Judean Desert were covered with the boys' blood, reportedly smeared there by the killers"<ref name=USA/> "who dipped their hands in the blood of the victims."<ref name=aish/> There were also "] screeds on the cave's wall".<ref name=Aliya/> Those "screeds" were written with the boys' blood.<ref name=Aliya/>
'''Koby Mandell''' ({{langx|he|קובי מנדל}}) and '''Yosef Ishran''' ({{langx|he|יוסף איש-רן}}) were Israeli teens, 13 and 14 years old. Koby was a citizen of both the United States and Israel. The boys lived and attended school in the ] of ],<ref name=JPost/><ref name=USA/> near the ] located Palestinian town of the same name<ref name="BostonGlobe_10May2001a"/> variously referred to in English as ], Tekoa, and similar spellings. On 8 May 2001, the boys skipped school and went hiking in the ] surrounding their village.<ref name=Guardian/> At first, their parents did not worry about the boys. They believed that they had gone to school, and then to Jerusalem to participate in a political demonstration. But when the boys did not come home by midnight, their parents informed the authorities.<ref name=JPost/><ref name=USA/>


The bodies of two boys were discovered the next morning in a cave near the West Bank settlement where they lived. ] reported that, according to the police, both boys had "been bound, stabbed and beaten to death with rocks". The newspaper continued, "The walls of the cave in the Judean Desert were covered with the boys' blood, reportedly smeared there by the killers".<ref name=USA/> ] and the '']'' reported that "Israel's Channel Two TV said police believed there were at least three assailants who dipped their hands into the boys' blood after the killing and smeared it on the walls of the cave."<ref name=CNN/><ref name=IE/>
The police tried to figure out if the boys were lured to the cave, or if their bodies were deposited in the cave after the murders.<ref name=JPost/> After forensic examination, the bodies, which were mutilated beyond recognition,<ref name=aish/> together with blood-stained rocks were taken out of the cave.<ref name=JPost/>


Miro Cohen, a sheep rancher described the scene to '']'': "A rock the size of a computer rested on Kobi's smashed skull. Both bodies were covered with stones. Blood smeared the walls, and the dirt floor was muddy with it." The bodies were so badly mutilated and disfigured that dental records had to be used for positive identification.<ref name=Time/>
The boys' funeral was attended by thousands of people.<ref name=JPost/>


The '']'' reported that police could not determine whether the boys had been killed outside the cave, or if their bodies were deposited in the cave after the murders. After forensic examination, the bodies, together with blood-stained rocks, were taken out of the cave. The boys' funeral was attended by thousands of people.<ref name=JPost/>
==Claiming responsibility and Israeli and Palestinian reaction==


==Responsibility==
A few news agencies were called anonymously. The caller claimed the attack had been carried out by "a group called Hizbullah-Palestine." The caller said the boys were killed as revenge for the death of a four-month-old Palestinian baby, Iman Hiju, who had become the youngest victim of violence when an Israeli tank fired at the home in which the baby lived. ] had issued an apology for the accidental killing, stressing that the "soldiers did not intend to kill her."<ref name=ABC/>
Israeli police made several statements about responsibility for the murders. They were reported variously as stating that thieves, who stole 100 goats from Tekoa the same night, may have been responsible;<ref name=JPost/> that there was no clear link between the two crimes;<ref name=Guardian/> and that there was no link.<ref name=JPost/> One police commander however expressed the view that there was "no doubt" the murders were committed "for nationalistic reasons".<ref name=JPost/> Police said the killings appeared to have taken place during a "chance encounter" rather than one that had been planned in advance.<ref name="BostonGlobe_10May2001a"/><ref name=Guardian/><ref name=IE/><ref name=NYT/> Israeli security forces arrested 20 Palestinians from nearby villages and imposed curfews and roadblocks in response to the attack.<ref name=JPost/>


A few of the many news agencies that reported about the murders said that an anonymous person claiming to represent an Islamic militant group telephoned one or more other news agencies to take responsibility. The ''Irish Independent'' reported that a call was made to ], and that the call could not be authenticated but purportedly claimed revenge for the killing of an Islamic Jihad militant the previous Saturday as a motive.<ref name=IE/> The ''Irish Independent'' did not name any particular group. The ''Jerusalem Post'' said in its day-after the event story that an anonymous caller to unnamed "foreign news agencies" had said he represented a group called "Hizbullah-Palestine" and that the boys were killed as revenge for the death of a four-month-old Palestinian baby, Iman Hiju, who became the youngest victim of violence when she was killed by an Israeli tank shell a few days previously.<ref name=JPost/> That death was apologized for by ], who stressed that the "soldiers did not intend to kill her".<ref name=ABC/> A subsequent ''Jerusalem Post'' story, printed in 2008, suggested that the boys' killings might be attributable to "] shepherds".<ref name=Glick/>
In his 2007 book ''Chronologies of modern terrorism'', ] named ] as the terrorist group responsible.<ref name=Rubin/>


Three books on terrorism that include compilations of terrorist attacks against Israel subsequently listed the murders as being attributable to ] and/or a "splinter group" of ], called "Hizbullah-Palestine".<ref name=Rubin/><ref name="Kushner"/><ref name=Dilemmas/> Another source blames "a Palestinian mob".<ref name=JewishJournal/> The ''Boston Globe'' reported that Israeli settlers, among other possible motives, suggested "a group of Palestinian youths had staked a claim on the cave during the seven months of violence, and that Israeli youths had been warned not to hike there."<ref name="BostonGlobe_10May2001a"/> Most sources simply blame unidentified Palestinian terrorists.<ref name=JPost/> According to a 2004 U.S. Congressional report, there was never a "meaningful investigation or prosecution" of the case,<ref name=congressionalreport2004/> and apparently, the perpetrators have yet to be apprehended.<ref name=Haaretz/>
Ariel Sharon blamed the murder on the ]. Sharon said that Palestinian security forces do nothing to stop the terrorists from murdering innocent civilians. He said that Palestinian TV was promoting the violence by "by broadcasting music videos filled with images of children throwing stones."<ref name=ABC/> ] responded by blaming Israel for "victimizing Palestinian children".<ref name=USA/><ref name=NYT/> "He cited a 3-month-old Palestinian girl, Reema Ahmed, who was wounded Wednesday during an Israeli shooting attack on a Gaza refugee camp."<ref name=USA/>


==Reactions==
], a rabbi from ], said:
The Israeli government condemned the killings.<ref name=USA/><ref name=NYT/><ref name="Globe_and_Mail_10_May_2001"/> ] blamed the murder on the ]. Sharon said that Palestinian security forces do nothing to stop terrorists from murdering innocent civilians. He said that Palestinian TV was promoting violence "by broadcasting music videos filled with images of children throwing stones."<ref name=ABC/>
<blockquote>
The profound distinction between Israel and its enemies is that if a child is killed by Israel, it is in an act of defense directed at a building where shots were fired at soldiers. In the case of Kobi and Yossi and Shalhevet, the enemy picked out innocent children to destroy them.<ref name=JPost/>
</blockquote>


The spokesman for the Palestinian Authority, ] said, "The Palestinian Authority regrets the loss of life of these two boys and all children, be it Israeli or Palestinian, Jewish, Muslim or Christian."<ref name=NYT/> He added, "the short way for peace and stability is finishing the Israeli occupation."<ref name=BBC/> <ref name=Mail/> The Palestinian Authority condemned the killings. A spokesman for the Authority, ] said, "The Palestinian Authority regrets the loss of life of these two boys and all children, be it Israeli or Palestinian, Jewish, Muslim or Christian."<ref name=NYT/> He added that killing civilians on either side of the ongoing conflict is a crime, and that "the short way for peace and stability is finishing the Israeli occupation."<ref name=BBC/>


], President of the ], responded by blaming Israel for "victimizing Palestinian children".<ref name=USA/><ref name=NYT/> He cited the case of a three-month-old Palestinian girl, Reema Ahmed, wounded by gunfire the previous Wednesday during an Israeli attack on a Palestinian refugee camp.<ref name=USA/>
== Proposed Koby Mandell Act ==


In a statement referencing the murder of the two boys as well as the terrorist assassination of a ten month old Israeli infant the previous month, ], a rabbi from ], saw "a profound distinction" between "Israel and its enemies":
As a result of the murder, several legislators introduced the Koby Mandell Act, which reprimanded the State Department for, as it said, not doing enough about Palestinian terrorists who had harmed American citizens, and which would create an Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism in the ]. The legislation was spearheaded by ]'s ] but was not a priority of other Jewish groups, who said that it did more to reprimand the State Department rather than support counter-terrorism: by targeting only Palestinian terrorists, they said, it was too narrow in its scope and would not, for example, have been able to deal with the murder of ]. The provisions of the law which created the office were eventually incorporated into a 2004 omnibus spending bill.<ref>{{Cite news |work=Jewish Journal |url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/world/article/bill_cracks_down_on_killers_of_americans_20041217/ |first=Matthew E. |last=Berger |title=Bill Cracks Down on Killers of Americans |date=December 16, 2004}}</ref>


<blockquote>f a child is killed by Israel, it is in an act of defense directed at a building where shots were fired at soldiers. In the case of Kobi and Yossi and ], the enemy picked out innocent children to destroy them.<ref name=JPost/></blockquote>
==The Koby Mandell Foundation and comedy show==
The mission of the Koby Mandell Foundation, set up by his parents Seth and Sherri Mandell, is to "work to bridge the isolation that bereaved children and adults are struck with after the loss of a loved one."<ref name=JPost3/><ref name="The Koby Mandell Foundation"/> ], in his book ''Terror: how Israel has coped and what America can learn'', writes that Koby's parents are determined "to take the cruelty of Koby's murder and transform it into kindness."<ref name=Cole/>
Both Seth and Sherri Mandell reject responding to violence with violence. Seth Mandell says that "Throwing stones at Arab houses makes us as bad as the Arabs, and is not an intelligent response." Urging against the violence he says: "There’s plenty of stuff that can be done that is non-violent and makes a point."<ref name=JPost2/>
Sherri Mandell says that "Revenge, to her, means they have won".
<ref name="Yiddishe Mamas"/>


] characterized the boys' deaths as a "horrific murder" and ordered a missile strike on ]'s ] offices in Gaza City, in which 20 Palestinians were wounded.<ref name=Time/>
Koby's parents also organized comedy shows to commemorate the memory of their son, who they say loved jokes.<ref name=JPost3/><ref name="The Koby Mandell Foundation"/>


] spokesman ] called the killings of the Israeli boys "horrible, brutal". Pope ], speaking in ], said he was saddened by "news from the Holy Land of terrible violence even against innocent young people."<ref name=USA/>
==References==


==Koby Mandell Act==
As a result of the murders, several American legislators introduced the '''Koby Mandell Act''', which reprimanded the State Department for, as it said, not doing enough about Palestinian terrorists who had harmed American citizens, and which would create an Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism in the ]. The legislation was spearheaded by Sarah Stern, currently with the Endowment for Middle East Truth and<ref>{{cite web|url=http://washingtonjewishweek.com/29771/letters-march-16-2016/editorial-opinion/letters/|title=Letters, March 16, 2016|website=washingtonjewishweek.com|date=16 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/opinion/op-ed-contributors/the-office-of-justice-for-victims-of-overseas-terrorism|title=The Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism|website=The Jerusalem Post &#124; JPost.com|date=3 April 2012 }}</ref> formerly the lobbyist for the Zionist Organization of America, but was not a priority of other Jewish groups, who said that it did more to reprimand the State Department rather than support counter-terrorism: by targeting only Palestinian terrorists, they said, it was too narrow in its scope and would not, for example, have been ] the murder of ]. The provisions of the law which created the office were eventually incorporated into a 2004 omnibus spending bill.<ref>{{Cite news|work=Jewish Journal|url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/world/article/bill_cracks_down_on_killers_of_americans_20041217|first=Matthew E.|last=Berger|title=Bill Cracks Down on Killers of Americans|date=17 December 2004|access-date=19 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Koby Mandell Act|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CRPT-108srpt344/pdf/CRPT-108srpt344.pdf|date=15 September 2004|page=184|publisher=gpo.gov|access-date=19 November 2014}}</ref>

==The Koby Mandell Foundation and comedy shows==
The mission of the Koby Mandell Foundation, set up by his parents Seth and ], is to "work to bridge the isolation that bereaved children and adults are struck with after the loss of a loved one."<ref name=JPost3/><ref name="The Koby Mandell Foundation"/> ], in his book ''Terror: how Israel has coped and what America can learn'', writes that Koby's parents are determined "to take the cruelty of Koby's murder and transform it into kindness."<ref name=Cole/>
Both Seth and Sherri Mandell reject responding to violence with violence. Seth Mandell says that "Throwing stones at Arab houses makes us as bad as the Arabs, and is not an intelligent response." Urging against the violence he says: "There's plenty of stuff that can be done that is non-violent and makes a point."<ref name=JPost2/> Sherri Mandell says that "Revenge, to her, means they have won".<ref name="Yiddishe Mamas"/> Koby's parents organized comedy shows to commemorate the memory of their son, who they say loved jokes.<ref name=JPost3/><ref name="The Koby Mandell Foundation"/>

==See also==
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]

==References==
{{Reflist|2|refs= {{Reflist|2|refs=
<ref name=Cole>{{cite web|title= Terror: how Israel has coped and what America can|date=June 2007|ISBN=978-0253349187|publisher=]|author = ]|page = 170 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=BzouWqFtv0AC&pg=PA170&lpg=PA170&dq=Tekoa+stoning+of+Israeli+teens&source=bl&ots=ybQYt0BSDi&sig=cA6n_P4JTe49kJSTr0p2pQnBIkI&hl=en&ei=SMqDTePmJYeisAPi8Y37AQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CEAQ6AEwBzgU#v=onepage&q&f=false|accessdate=11 March 2011}}</ref> <ref name=Cole>{{cite book|title= Terror: how Israel has coped and what America can|date=June 2007|isbn=978-0-253-34918-7|publisher=]|author = ]|page = |url= https://archive.org/details/terrorhowisraelh0000cole|url-access= registration|quote= Tekoa stoning of Israeli teens.|access-date=11 March 2011}}</ref>


<ref name=Aliya>{{cite web|title= Aliya: Three Generations of American-Jewish Immigration to Israel|date=August 7, 2007|ISBN=0312315163|publisher=]|author = Liel Leibovitz|page = xi |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=SxPM2C2Oo14C&pg=PR11&dq=%22kobi+mandell%22+may+2001&hl=en&ei=VHmFTeDtO4iisAOjlrjzAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-preview-link&resnum=1&ved=0CC0QuwUwAA#v=onepage&q=%22kobi%20mandell%22%20may%202001&f=false|accessdate=11 March 2011}}</ref> <ref name=Dilemmas>{{cite book|title=Dilemmas Of Weak States: Africa And Transnational Terrorism In The Twenty-First Century (Contemporary Perspectives on Developing Societies)|date=30 October 2004|isbn=978-0-7546-4200-8|publisher=]|author=Tatah Mentan|pages=90–91|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nLvQklv5690C&q=+%22Kobi+Mandell%22&pg=PA90|access-date=11 March 2011}}</ref>


<ref name=Glick>{{cite web|url=http://www.carolineglick.com/e/2008/03|title=Israeli's accountability problem|author=]|date=28 March 2008|access-date=29 March 2011}}{{Dead link|date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
<ref name=Rubin>{{cite web|title= Chronologies of modern terrorism
|date=December 31, 2007|ISBN=978-0765620477|publisher=]
|author = ] and Judith Colp Rubin|page = 219 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=RIwBFpBi5noC&pg=PA219&dq=israeli+teens+stoned+to+death+2001&hl=en&ei=mwuETeK9F4a4sAOFycTlAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false|accessdate=11 March 2011}}</ref>


<ref name=congressionalreport2004>{{cite book|title=Congressional Record|author=United States Government|year=2004|volume=150, Part 5|publisher=Government Printing Office|location=Washington, D.C.|page=5599|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-V0nkvma7sYC}}</ref>
<ref name="Yiddishe Mamas">{{cite web|title= Yiddishe Mamas: The Truth About the Jewish Mother|date=March 1, 2007|ISBN=978-0740763762
|publisher=]|author = ] |page = 307 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=KSEkyUZOxG0C&pg=PA307&dq=%22koby+Mandell%22+yiddishe&hl=en&ei=UYGFTYyzKYnQsAOo4Lj1AQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false|accessdate=11 March 2011}}</ref>


<ref name=JPost>{{cite web|title= Terrorists murder teens near Tekoa. Sharon demands PA halt terror |date=May 10, 2001|publisher=]|author = MARGOT DUDKEVITCH, HERB KEINON, Janine Zacharia,Itim |url= http://info.jpost.com/C002/Supplements/CasualtiesOfWar/2001_05_09.html|accessdate=11 March 2011}}</ref> <ref name=Rubin>{{cite book|title=Chronologies of modern terrorism|date=31 December 2007|isbn=978-0-7656-2047-7|publisher=]|author=] and Judith Colp Rubin|page=219|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RIwBFpBi5noC&q=israeli+teens+stoned+to+death+2001&pg=PA219|access-date=11 March 2011}}</ref>


<ref name=Guardian>{{cite web|title= Two Israeli boys found bludgeoned to death|date=May 9, 2001|publisher=]|author = |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/may/09/israel1|accessdate=11 March 2011}}</ref> <ref name=Kushner>{{cite book|title= Encyclopedia of terrorism|date=4 December 2002|isbn=978-0-7619-2408-1|publisher=]|author=Harvey W. Kushner|page=|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780761924081|url-access= registration|quote= Kobi Mandell islamic jihad.|access-date=11 March 2011|author-link=Harvey Kushner}}</ref>


<ref name=JewishJournal>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/world/article/bill_cracks_down_on_killers_of_americans_20041217|title=Bill Cracks Down on Killers of Americans|last1=Berger|first1=Matthew E.|date=16 December 2004|access-date=29 March 2011}}</ref>
<ref name=JPost2>{{cite web|title= ‘They won’t understand how the world can continue’|date=3/4/2011|publisher=]|author = MELANIE LIDMAN |url= http://info.jpost.com/C002/Supplements/CasualtiesOfWar/2001_05_09.html|accessdate=11 March 2011}}</ref>


<ref name=Haaretz>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/begging-their-pardon-1.249731|title=Begging their pardon|last1=Shragai|first1=Nadav|newspaper=Haaretz|date=15 July 2008|access-date=29 March 2011}}</ref>
<ref name=JPost3>{{cite web|title= The funny business of remembering Koby Mandell|date=12/14/2010 |publisher=]|author = DAVID HOROVITZ |url= http://www.jpost.com/ArtsAndCulture/Entertainment/Article.aspx?id=199431|accessdate=11 March 2011}}</ref>


<ref name="Yiddishe Mamas">{{cite book|title=Yiddishe Mamas: The Truth About the Jewish Mother|date=1 March 2007|isbn=978-0-7407-6376-2|publisher=]|author=Marnie Winston-Macauley|page=307|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KSEkyUZOxG0C&q=%22koby+Mandell%22+yiddishe&pg=PA307|access-date=11 March 2011}}</ref>
<ref name=aish>{{cite web|title= The 'Good' Terrorist. When a man sprays machine-gun fire at a busload of schoolchildren, is that activism, militancy -- or just plain terror? |date=May 10, 2001|publisher=aish.com|author = Seth and ] |url= http://www.aish.com/jw/me/48890467.html|accessdate=11 March 2011}}</ref>


<ref name=JPost>{{cite web|title=Terrorists murder teens near Tekoa. Sharon demands PA halt terror|date=10 May 2001|publisher=]|author=Margot Dudkevitch, Herb Keinon, Janine Zacharia,Itim|url=http://info.jpost.com/C002/Supplements/CasualtiesOfWar/2001_05_09.html|access-date=11 March 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713122209/http://info.jpost.com/C002/Supplements/CasualtiesOfWar/2001_05_09.html|archive-date=13 July 2011}}</ref>
<ref name=JPost1>{{cite web|title= Column One: Hizbullah and the info war|date=12/31/2010 |publisher=]|author = ]
|url= http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=201626|accessdate=11 March 2011}}</ref>


<ref name=USA>{{cite web|title= Two Israeli teenagers stoned to death|date=6/20/2001 |publisher=]|author =Matthew Kalman <ref name=Guardian>{{cite news|title= Two Israeli boys found bludgeoned to death|date=May 9, 2001|publisher=]|url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/may/09/israel1|access-date=11 March 2011|location=London}}</ref>
|url= http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=201626|accessdate=11 March 2011}}</ref>


<ref name=ABC>{{cite web|title= Stoning to Death' of Israeli Youths Fuels Tension|date=6/20/2001 |publisher=]|author =Matthew Kalman <ref name=JPost2>{{cite web|title='They won't understand how the world can continue'|publisher=]|author=Melanie Lidman|date=December 2010 |url=http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?ID=212021&R=R1|access-date=30 March 2011}}</ref>
|url= http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=81112&page=1|accessdate=11 March 2011}}</ref>


<ref name="The Koby Mandell Foundation">{{cite web|title= The Koby Mandell Foundation|date=|publisher=kobymandell.org|author = <ref name=JPost3>{{cite web|title=The funny business of remembering Koby Mandell|date=14 December 2010|publisher=]|author=David Horovitz|url=http://www.jpost.com/ArtsAndCulture/Entertainment/Article.aspx?id=199431|access-date=11 March 2011}}</ref>
|url= http://www.kobymandell.org/}}</ref>


<ref name=BBC>{{cite web|title= Israeli teenagers 'stoned to death'|date= 9 May, 2001|publisher=]|author = |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1320589.stm|accessdate=11 March 2011}}</ref> <ref name=USA>{{cite news|title=Two Israeli teenagers stoned to death|date=20 June 2001|publisher=]|author =Matthew Kalman|url= https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/mideast/2001-05-09-slainteens.htm|access-date=24 March 2011}}</ref>


<ref name=Mail>{{cite web|title= Israeli teenagers stoned to death|date= 9 May, 2001|publisher=]|authors = |url= http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-44741/Israeli-teenagers-stoned-death.html|accessdate=11 March 2011}}</ref> <ref name=ABC>{{cite web|title=Stoning to Death' of Israeli Youths Fuels Tension|date=20 June 2001|publisher=]|author=Matthew Kalman|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=81112&page=1|access-date=11 March 2011}}</ref>


<ref name=NYT>{{cite web|title= 2 Jewish Teenagers Are Beaten to Death in the West Bank|author= JOEL GREENBERG|date= 10 May, 2001|publisher=]|authors = |url= http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9507EEDF133BF933A25756C0A9679C8B63|accessdate=11 March 2011}}</ref> <ref name="The Koby Mandell Foundation">{{cite web|title= The Koby Mandell Foundation|publisher=kobymandell.org|url=http://www.kobymandell.org|access-date=19 November 2014}}</ref>


<!-- <ref name="scottishfriendsofisrael.org">{{cite web|title= Arab World Quotes|author= |date= |publisher=scottishfriendsofisrael.org|authors = |url= http://www.scottishfriendsofisrael.org/arab_quotes.htm|accessdate=11 March 2011}}</ref> --> <ref name=BBC>{{cite news|title=Israeli teenagers 'stoned to death'|date= 9 May 2001|publisher=BBC|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1320589.stm|access-date=11 March 2011}}</ref>

}}
<ref name=NYT>{{cite news|title=2 Jewish Teenagers Are Beaten to Death in the West Bank|author=Joel Greenberg|date=10 May 2001|work=]|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9507EEDF133BF933A25756C0A9679C8B63|access-date=11 March 2011}}</ref>
]

]
<ref name=CNN>{{cite news|title=Seven hurt in Gaza gunbattle|date=10 May 2001|publisher=]|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2001-05-10/world/mideast.deaths_1_palestinian-cabinet-member-palestinian-police-posts-tanks-and-bulldozers?_s=PM:WORLD|access-date=11 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120809101750/http://articles.cnn.com/2001-05-10/world/mideast.deaths_1_palestinian-cabinet-member-palestinian-police-posts-tanks-and-bulldozers?_s=PM:WORLD|archive-date=9 August 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
]

]
<ref name=Time>{{cite news|title=The Terrible Tide Of Blood|date= 21 May 2001|publisher=]|author=Matt Rees With Reporting By Aharon Klein/Tekoa|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,999912-1,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107022021/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,999912-1,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 7, 2012|access-date=11 March 2011}}</ref>
]

]
<ref name=IE>{{cite news|title='Get tough' call to Sharon as Jewish boys stoned to death|publisher=]|author=Phil Reeves in Tekoa|url=http://www.independent.ie/world-news/get-tough-call-to-sharon--as-jewish-boys-stoned-to--death-344813.html|access-date=11 March 2011|date=10 May 2001}}</ref>
]

]
<ref name="Globe_and_Mail_10_May_2001">{{cite news|title= Mr. Day Speaks the Truth|date=10 May 2001|page=A19|publisher=]|author=]|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/search/?q=%22When+two+teenaged+boys+were+found+dead+near+their+homes+in+the+West+Bank%2C+their+bodies+bound%2C+mutilated+and+pummelled+with+stones%2C+Mr.+Arafat+refused+to+express+regret%2C+saying+only+that+Palestinian+children+were+victims+too%22|access-date=30 March 2011|location=Toronto}} Subscription required.</ref>
]

]
<ref name="BostonGlobe_10May2001a">{{cite news|title=Boys' Deaths Renew Focus on Old Mideast Hatreds|date=10 May 2001|page=A1|publisher=]|author=Sennott, Charles|quote=The settlement and a nearby Palestinian village of the same name refer to the place where the prophet Amos was born ... said a group of Palestinian youths had staked a claim on the cave during the seven months of violence, and that Israeli youths had been warned not to hike there.}} . Subscription required for full text, which is also available via ] as document ID 72729111.</ref>}}
]

==External links==
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108025726/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/72780796.html?dids=72780796:72780796&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT |date=2012-11-08 }}, '']'', 10 May 2011.
* , '']'', 10 May 2001.
* , ], 10 May 2001.
* , ], 10 May 2001.
* , ]; accessed 19 November 2014.
* that documents the deaths of residents, tekoa.org.il; accessed 19 November 2014.

{{Terrorist attacks against Israelis in the 2000s}}
{{Palestinian militancy attacks in the 2000s}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mandell, Koby and Ishran, Yosef}}
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
] ]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 22:43, 28 December 2024

2001 murders of two Israeli teenagers
Murders of Koby Mandell and Yosef Ishran
Murders of Koby Mandell and Yosef Ishran is located in the Southern West BankMurders of Koby Mandell and Yosef Ishranclass=notpageimage| The attack site
Native nameרצח הנערים מתקוע
LocationOutskirts of the Israeli settlement of Tekoa
Coordinates31°38′40″N 35°14′08″E / 31.64444°N 35.23556°E / 31.64444; 35.23556
Date8 May 2001; 23 years ago (2001-05-08)
Attack typeKidnapping, stabbing attack, stoning
Deaths2 Israeli teenage civilians

The murders of Koby Mandell and Yosef Ishran occurred on 8 May 2001, when two Jewish teenagers, Yaakov "Koby" Mandell and Yosef Ishran, were killed on the outskirts of the Israeli settlement of Tekoa in the West Bank, where they lived with their families. The identity of the killers has never been determined, though Israel and a number of sources state that unidentified Palestinian terrorists were responsible.

Koby Mandell was an Israeli-American, his family having emigrated from the United States to Israel in 1996, and the murders resulted in legislation by the U.S. Congress aimed at strengthening the U.S. response to the killing of Americans overseas. In response to his death, Koby's parents set up the Koby Mandell Foundation to provide support for families bereaved by terrorist attacks.

Disappearance and discovery

Koby Mandell (Hebrew: קובי מנדל) and Yosef Ishran (Hebrew: יוסף איש-רן) were Israeli teens, 13 and 14 years old. Koby was a citizen of both the United States and Israel. The boys lived and attended school in the Israeli settlement of Tekoa, Gush Etzion, near the West Bank located Palestinian town of the same name variously referred to in English as Tuqu', Tekoa, and similar spellings. On 8 May 2001, the boys skipped school and went hiking in the Judean desert surrounding their village. At first, their parents did not worry about the boys. They believed that they had gone to school, and then to Jerusalem to participate in a political demonstration. But when the boys did not come home by midnight, their parents informed the authorities.

The bodies of two boys were discovered the next morning in a cave near the West Bank settlement where they lived. USA Today reported that, according to the police, both boys had "been bound, stabbed and beaten to death with rocks". The newspaper continued, "The walls of the cave in the Judean Desert were covered with the boys' blood, reportedly smeared there by the killers". CNN and the Irish Independent reported that "Israel's Channel Two TV said police believed there were at least three assailants who dipped their hands into the boys' blood after the killing and smeared it on the walls of the cave."

Miro Cohen, a sheep rancher described the scene to Time: "A rock the size of a computer rested on Kobi's smashed skull. Both bodies were covered with stones. Blood smeared the walls, and the dirt floor was muddy with it." The bodies were so badly mutilated and disfigured that dental records had to be used for positive identification.

The Jerusalem Post reported that police could not determine whether the boys had been killed outside the cave, or if their bodies were deposited in the cave after the murders. After forensic examination, the bodies, together with blood-stained rocks, were taken out of the cave. The boys' funeral was attended by thousands of people.

Responsibility

Israeli police made several statements about responsibility for the murders. They were reported variously as stating that thieves, who stole 100 goats from Tekoa the same night, may have been responsible; that there was no clear link between the two crimes; and that there was no link. One police commander however expressed the view that there was "no doubt" the murders were committed "for nationalistic reasons". Police said the killings appeared to have taken place during a "chance encounter" rather than one that had been planned in advance. Israeli security forces arrested 20 Palestinians from nearby villages and imposed curfews and roadblocks in response to the attack.

A few of the many news agencies that reported about the murders said that an anonymous person claiming to represent an Islamic militant group telephoned one or more other news agencies to take responsibility. The Irish Independent reported that a call was made to Reuters, and that the call could not be authenticated but purportedly claimed revenge for the killing of an Islamic Jihad militant the previous Saturday as a motive. The Irish Independent did not name any particular group. The Jerusalem Post said in its day-after the event story that an anonymous caller to unnamed "foreign news agencies" had said he represented a group called "Hizbullah-Palestine" and that the boys were killed as revenge for the death of a four-month-old Palestinian baby, Iman Hiju, who became the youngest victim of violence when she was killed by an Israeli tank shell a few days previously. That death was apologized for by Ariel Sharon, who stressed that the "soldiers did not intend to kill her". A subsequent Jerusalem Post story, printed in 2008, suggested that the boys' killings might be attributable to "Bedouin shepherds".

Three books on terrorism that include compilations of terrorist attacks against Israel subsequently listed the murders as being attributable to Islamic Jihad and/or a "splinter group" of Hezbollah, called "Hizbullah-Palestine". Another source blames "a Palestinian mob". The Boston Globe reported that Israeli settlers, among other possible motives, suggested "a group of Palestinian youths had staked a claim on the cave during the seven months of violence, and that Israeli youths had been warned not to hike there." Most sources simply blame unidentified Palestinian terrorists. According to a 2004 U.S. Congressional report, there was never a "meaningful investigation or prosecution" of the case, and apparently, the perpetrators have yet to be apprehended.

Reactions

The Israeli government condemned the killings. Ariel Sharon blamed the murder on the Palestinian Authority. Sharon said that Palestinian security forces do nothing to stop terrorists from murdering innocent civilians. He said that Palestinian TV was promoting violence "by broadcasting music videos filled with images of children throwing stones."

The Palestinian Authority condemned the killings. A spokesman for the Authority, Saeb Erekat said, "The Palestinian Authority regrets the loss of life of these two boys and all children, be it Israeli or Palestinian, Jewish, Muslim or Christian." He added that killing civilians on either side of the ongoing conflict is a crime, and that "the short way for peace and stability is finishing the Israeli occupation."

Yasser Arafat, President of the Palestinian National Authority, responded by blaming Israel for "victimizing Palestinian children". He cited the case of a three-month-old Palestinian girl, Reema Ahmed, wounded by gunfire the previous Wednesday during an Israeli attack on a Palestinian refugee camp.

In a statement referencing the murder of the two boys as well as the terrorist assassination of a ten month old Israeli infant the previous month, Shlomo Riskin, a rabbi from Efrat, saw "a profound distinction" between "Israel and its enemies":

f a child is killed by Israel, it is in an act of defense directed at a building where shots were fired at soldiers. In the case of Kobi and Yossi and Shalhevet, the enemy picked out innocent children to destroy them.

Ariel Sharon characterized the boys' deaths as a "horrific murder" and ordered a missile strike on Yasser Arafat's Fatah offices in Gaza City, in which 20 Palestinians were wounded.

U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher called the killings of the Israeli boys "horrible, brutal". Pope John Paul II, speaking in Malta, said he was saddened by "news from the Holy Land of terrible violence even against innocent young people."

Koby Mandell Act

As a result of the murders, several American legislators introduced the Koby Mandell Act, which reprimanded the State Department for, as it said, not doing enough about Palestinian terrorists who had harmed American citizens, and which would create an Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism in the Department of Justice. The legislation was spearheaded by Sarah Stern, currently with the Endowment for Middle East Truth and formerly the lobbyist for the Zionist Organization of America, but was not a priority of other Jewish groups, who said that it did more to reprimand the State Department rather than support counter-terrorism: by targeting only Palestinian terrorists, they said, it was too narrow in its scope and would not, for example, have been able to deal with the murder of Daniel Pearl. The provisions of the law which created the office were eventually incorporated into a 2004 omnibus spending bill.

The Koby Mandell Foundation and comedy shows

The mission of the Koby Mandell Foundation, set up by his parents Seth and Sherri Mandell, is to "work to bridge the isolation that bereaved children and adults are struck with after the loss of a loved one." Leonard A. Cole, in his book Terror: how Israel has coped and what America can learn, writes that Koby's parents are determined "to take the cruelty of Koby's murder and transform it into kindness." Both Seth and Sherri Mandell reject responding to violence with violence. Seth Mandell says that "Throwing stones at Arab houses makes us as bad as the Arabs, and is not an intelligent response." Urging against the violence he says: "There's plenty of stuff that can be done that is non-violent and makes a point." Sherri Mandell says that "Revenge, to her, means they have won". Koby's parents organized comedy shows to commemorate the memory of their son, who they say loved jokes.

See also

References

  1. "Ya'acov (Kobi) Mandell, Yosef (Yossi) Ish-Ran, May 9, 2001 // In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel". mfa.gov.il. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  2. "The Deadly Reality of Palestinian Rock Throwing". Israel Defense Forces. 2014-02-24. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  3. see "Responsibility"
  4. ^ Margot Dudkevitch, Herb Keinon, Janine Zacharia,Itim (10 May 2001). "Terrorists murder teens near Tekoa. Sharon demands PA halt terror". Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Matthew Kalman (20 June 2001). "Two Israeli teenagers stoned to death". USA Today. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  6. ^ Sennott, Charles (10 May 2001). "Boys' Deaths Renew Focus on Old Mideast Hatreds". The Boston Globe. p. A1. The settlement and a nearby Palestinian village of the same name refer to the place where the prophet Amos was born ... said a group of Palestinian youths had staked a claim on the cave during the seven months of violence, and that Israeli youths had been warned not to hike there. Abstract available. Subscription required for full text, which is also available via ProQuest NewsStand as document ID 72729111.
  7. ^ "Two Israeli boys found bludgeoned to death". London: guardian.co.uk. May 9, 2001. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  8. "Seven hurt in Gaza gunbattle". CNN. 10 May 2001. Archived from the original on 9 August 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  9. ^ Phil Reeves in Tekoa (10 May 2001). "'Get tough' call to Sharon as Jewish boys stoned to death". Irish Independent. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  10. ^ Matt Rees With Reporting By Aharon Klein/Tekoa (21 May 2001). "The Terrible Tide Of Blood". Time. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  11. ^ Joel Greenberg (10 May 2001). "2 Jewish Teenagers Are Beaten to Death in the West Bank". New York Times. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  12. ^ Matthew Kalman (20 June 2001). "Stoning to Death' of Israeli Youths Fuels Tension". ABC News. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  13. Caroline Glick (28 March 2008). "Israeli's accountability problem". Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  14. Barry M. Rubin and Judith Colp Rubin (31 December 2007). Chronologies of modern terrorism. M.E. Sharpe. p. 219. ISBN 978-0-7656-2047-7. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  15. Harvey W. Kushner (4 December 2002). Encyclopedia of terrorism. SAGE Publications. p. 467. ISBN 978-0-7619-2408-1. Retrieved 11 March 2011. Kobi Mandell islamic jihad.
  16. Tatah Mentan (30 October 2004). Dilemmas Of Weak States: Africa And Transnational Terrorism In The Twenty-First Century (Contemporary Perspectives on Developing Societies). Ashgate Publishing. pp. 90–91. ISBN 978-0-7546-4200-8. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  17. Berger, Matthew E. (16 December 2004). "Bill Cracks Down on Killers of Americans". Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  18. United States Government (2004). Congressional Record. Vol. 150, Part 5. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. p. 5599.
  19. Shragai, Nadav (15 July 2008). "Begging their pardon". Haaretz. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  20. Marcus Gee (10 May 2001). "Mr. Day Speaks the Truth". Toronto: The Globe and Mail. p. A19. Retrieved 30 March 2011. Subscription required.
  21. "Israeli teenagers 'stoned to death'". BBC. 9 May 2001. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  22. "Letters, March 16, 2016". washingtonjewishweek.com. 16 March 2016.
  23. "The Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 3 April 2012.
  24. Berger, Matthew E. (17 December 2004). "Bill Cracks Down on Killers of Americans". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  25. "Koby Mandell Act" (PDF). gpo.gov. 15 September 2004. p. 184. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  26. ^ David Horovitz (14 December 2010). "The funny business of remembering Koby Mandell". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  27. ^ "The Koby Mandell Foundation". kobymandell.org. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  28. Leonard A. Cole (June 2007). Terror: how Israel has coped and what America can. Indiana University Press. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-253-34918-7. Retrieved 11 March 2011. Tekoa stoning of Israeli teens.
  29. Melanie Lidman (December 2010). "'They won't understand how the world can continue'". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  30. Marnie Winston-Macauley (1 March 2007). Yiddishe Mamas: The Truth About the Jewish Mother. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 307. ISBN 978-0-7407-6376-2. Retrieved 11 March 2011.

External links

Prominent terrorist attacks against Israelis in the history of the Arab–Israeli conflict – the 2000s
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
  Attacks launched from the West Bank   Attacks launched from the Gaza Strip   Attacks launched from Lebanon

‡ indicates the terrorist attack which caused the greatest amount of Israeli casualties during the 2000s

1990s 2010s
Prominent attacks by Palestinian militants in the 2000s
Within
Israel
West Bank
Gaza Strip
Worldwide
Attacks launched from Lebanon Attacks launched from the West Bank Attacks launched from the Gaza Strip 1990s 2010s
Categories: