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| {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}{{Short description|2001 infant death during the Second Intifada}} | |||
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| {{Infobox terrorist attack | {{Infobox terrorist attack | ||
| |title=Yehuda Shoham | | title = Killing of Yehuda Shoham | ||
| | partof = the ] | |||
| |partof= | |||
| | map = {{location map|Israel binyamin|lat_deg=32|lat_min=4|lat_sec=17|lon_deg=35|lon_min=15|lon_sec=55|caption=The location of Eli, West Bank}} | |||
| |map={{Location map | West Bank | |||
| |
| location = ], ] | ||
| |
| target = | ||
| |
| date = {{start date and age|2001|6|5|df=y}} | ||
| |
| type = Stoning attack | ||
| | fatalities = Yehuda Shoham | |||
| | mark = red.svg | |||
| |
| perps = Unknown | ||
| |
| weapons = Large rock | ||
| }} | |||
| |caption=The stoning attack occured near Eli. | |||
| |location=], ] | |||
| |target= | |||
| |date=June 5, 2001<br>100:00 pm | |||
| |time-begin= | |||
| |time-end= | |||
| |timezone= | |||
| |type=Stoning attack | |||
| |fatalities=One | |||
| |injuries= | |||
| |perps = Unknown Palestinian assailants | |||
| |weapons=Large rock | |||
| }} | }} | ||
| ''' |
The '''killing of Yehuda Shoham''' occurred on 5 June 2001 as the result of a ] on a civilian vehicle, from the ] of ], in which five-month-old ] Yehuda Shoham was seated. Rocks crashed through the car's windscreen and crushed the infant's skull. Shoham died of severe ] on 11 June 2001.<ref name="MFA">{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2001/Yehuda+Shoham.htm|title=Yehuda Shoham // In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel|website=]|access-date=7 August 2012}}</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> | ||
| In a letter to the ], Israel's permanent representative wrote of the incident as a "reprehensible act of terrorism" , noting that it followed Israel's declaration that it would desist from military action against Palestinian targets, and that ] leader ] had undertaken to stop violence and terrorism.<ref name="UN">{{cite web | url=http://www.un.org/documents/ga/docs/56/a5691.pdf | title=Letter dated 11 June 2001 from the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General | publisher=UN | accessdate=August 12, 2012}}</ref> | |||
| This stoning attack and the infant's death, six days later, made headlines in Israel.<ref name="WashTimes">{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2002/sep/11/20020911-085209-5430r|title=Caught in the cross fire|work=]|agency=Associated Press|date=11 September 2002|access-date=9 August 2012}}</ref><ref name="JP">{{cite web|first=Etgar|last=Lefkovits|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:JERB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=110B098388559F08&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D663DC0A81A15EA|title='It's as if we've been abandoned'|work=]|date=7 June 2001|access-date=7 August 2012}}</ref><ref name="I">{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-5166417.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103011618/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-5166417.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 January 2013|title=Settlers' baby dies after Palestinian stoning|first=Phil|last=Reeves|work=The Independent|date=12 June 2001| access-date=7 August 2012}}</ref> | |||
| ==Death== | |||
| Both incidents were part of a ] that started in September, 2000 and by 12 June 2001 had claimed the lives of 489 Palestinians and 109 Israelis.{{r|sevareid}} | |||
| ⚫ | The incident occurred |
||
| ==Attack== | |||
| ⚫ | Near Eli, Palestinians hiding at the roadside hurled rocks at the car which broke through the car's windscreen and crushed the infant's skull. The father continued driving, worried about an ambush, and at a nearby intersection, the couple noticed their baby's head injuries.<ref name="I" |
||
| ⚫ | The incident occurred as Benny and Batsheva Shoham and their only child Yehuda approached Eli after paying a ] in ].<ref name="JP"/> | ||
| ⚫ | Near Eli, Palestinians hiding at the roadside hurled rocks at the car which broke through the car's windscreen and crushed the infant's skull.<ref name="JP"/> The father continued driving, worried about an ambush, and at a nearby intersection, the couple noticed their baby's head injuries.<ref name="I"/> Batsheva performed ] on Yehuda until the arrival of paramedics.<ref name="JP"/> | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| Yehuda was taken to an intensive care unit at the ] in Jerusalem, where he lay unconscious and with severe head injuries. He was attached to a respirator for nearly a week before dying of severe brain damage on 11 July.<ref name="MFA"/><ref name="JP"/><ref name="I"/><ref name="H">{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/disproportionate-number-of-anglos-slain-olmert-praises-families-dignity-1.67914|title=Disproportionate number of Anglos slain; Olmert praises families' dignity|first=Charlotte|last= Halle|work=]|access-date=7 August 2012}}</ref><ref name="American Jewish">{{cite book|title=American Jewish Year, Book 2002|publisher=VNR AG|author1=Singer, David |author2=Grossman, Lawrence|year=2003|page=561|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RDuzdSm5W5AC&pg=PA561|isbn=0874951178}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | During his time in the hospital, Yehuda's parents gave him a second name, "Chaim," which means life, hoping that he would live.<ref name=defeat>{{cite news|title='Arafat must be defeated,' protesters say. Three Israelis wounded in shooting near Ramallah; Shilo baby fights to survive after stoning|work=The Jerusalem Post|date=7 June 2001|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:JERB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=110B098339996068&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D663DC0A81A15EA}}</ref> While in the hospital, Yehuda was visited by then Israeli Prime Minister ].<ref name="Sharon hopsital">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/1308882/Israeli-settlers-mourn-baby-killed-in-stoning.html|title=Israeli settlers mourn baby killed in stoning|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=12 June 2001|access-date=10 August 2012|author=Philips, Alan}}</ref> | ||
| ==Background== | ==Background== | ||
| The ], which began 8 months earlier, marked a period of intensified Palestinian-Israeli violence. On 22 May, Sharon declared a unilateral ceasefire and refrained from retaliating against Palestinian attacks. On Friday, 1 June, ] occurred which killed 21 people, mainly Israeli teenagers who had immigrated from Russia.<ref name=hobart/> The day after, Saturday, June 2, Yasser Arafat's call for a cease-fire staved off Israeli retaliation.<ref name=lavie>Mark Lavie, , '']'', 6 June 2001.</ref> | |||
| ==Aftermath== | |||
| ==The aftermath of Yehuda's wounding== | |||
| In the meantime, Israel took a variety of measures to reduce tension, with Defense Minister ] citing a "significant reduction in the number of attacks". Though Palestinians would be subject to strict closure confining them to their towns, Israel eased some travel restrictions and Palestinians were to be allowed to return from Jordan and Egypt, raw materials would be permitted to enter and exit the Palestinian territories, and Palestinians would be allowed to return to their jobs in an industrial zone near the ]. Palestinian security commanders traveled to trouble spots in the ] to consult with local officers over the cease-fire enforcement.<ref name=lavie/> | |||
| When news of Yehuda's wounding spread on Tuesday 5, |
When news of Yehuda's wounding spread on Tuesday, 5 June, far-right settlers urged ] to retaliate.<ref name=rampage>{{cite news|title=Settler rampage makes CIA chief's peace mission harder|work=The Scotsman|date=7 June 2001|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date:D&p_product=AWNB&p_text_direct-0=document_id=%28%200F687B6ED9801F04%20%29&p_docid=0F687B6ED9801F04&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=0F687B6ED9801F04&f_openurl=yes&p_nbid=V5BQ57OOMTM0NDc5Nzk4NS4xNTA0NDU6MToxMzoxOTIuMTYwLjIxNi4w&&p_multi=EDSC|access-date=12 August 2012}}</ref> The incident angered Israel's 200,000 settlers who urged Ariel Sharon to end Israel's "policy of restraint", and abandon the ceasefire. '']'' suggested that the incident would be cited by many Israelis as reason for stepping up military measures.<ref name="I" /> The morning after Yehuda's wounding, at least 300 settlers, arriving in buses, assailed two villages adjacent to Shiloh, ],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:MWSB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0ECC8CA763BA20B8&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D663DC0A81A15EA|title=Settlers attack Palestinian village - Injury to baby triggers fury|work=]|date=7 June 2001|author=Nomi Morris|access-date=12 August 2012}}</ref> and ], which lay under ] and within Israel's security responsibility, and, according to ], in the presence of, and according to local testimony, with the assistance of the IDF, fired a wheat harvest, a hothouse, a carpentry shop and a school, stole tools and shot a Palestinian youth in the stomach<ref name="btselem">Ron Dudai,, ], October 2001, pp 9-11:'Israeli security forces were present throughout the events but did not prevent the violence. In fact, they prevented Palestinians from defending themselves, and even joined the settlers in their violence. Testimonies given to B'Tselem indicate that the soldiers also prohibited fire engines and ambulances from reaching the scene.'</ref> or the leg.<ref name="rampage"/> | ||
| There were rock-throwing battles between settlers and Palestinians at the site of the attack on the Shohams' car during which one Israeli and seven Palestinians were injured.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:BPOC&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0F687B6FDF9E3AC5&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D663DC0A81A15EA|title=Sharon attack blows away uneasy calm|work=The Birmingham Post|date=7 June 2001}}</ref><ref name=keyser>{{cite news|title=Sharon supporters warn they're tired of Israeli restraint|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:APAB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0F8922A1308850F6&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D663DC0A81A15EA|author=Jayson Keyser|agency=Associated Press Archive|date=6 June 2001|access-date=12 August 2012}}</ref> In addition, settlers in ] also attacked local Palestinian shopkeepers. The settlers had been a focal target of Palestinian militancy during an eight-month uprising.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:MWSB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0ECC8CA763BA20B8&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D663DC0A81A15EA|title=Settlers attack Palestinian village - Injury to baby triggers fury|work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|date=7 June 2001|author=Nomi Morris|access-date=12 August 2012}}</ref> Two settlers were arrested by Israeli police as a result of the riots.<ref name=sevareid/> | |||
| Though reluctant to become involved in the conflict, the U.S. dispatched C.I.A. director ], who was scheduled to meet separately with the Israeli and Palestinian sides on Thursday 7. On the eve of his visit, Wednesday 6, Palestinians were outraged when Ariel Sharon called Arafat a "murderer" and "pathological liar" in an interview addressing the Russian community that had been angered at his failure to retaliate for the disco bombing. The broadcast was carried on Israeli television. Though given the red-carpet treatment abroad, he added, Arafat did not act like a head of state but rather like the chief of terrorists and murderers.<ref>Mark Lavie, at ], 6 June, 2001.</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | On Thursday 7, speaking to reporters at a rally urging Ariel Sharon to retaliate for the attack on Yehuda and other recent attacks, Yehuda's father said "Unfortunately, our government is showing a lot of weakness in its response to terrorism".<ref>{{cite news|title=Israelis urge Sharon to End Restraint Plan| |
||
| Though reluctant to become involved in the conflict, the U.S. dispatched C.I.A. director ], who was scheduled to meet separately with the Israeli and Palestinian sides on Thursday, June 7, in order to re-establish co-operation on security issues between the two parties, which had broken down after the IDF had shot at the car of the Gaza Strip security chief ] in mid-April, and had fired on the home of their West Bank security chief ] in late May.<ref name="rampage"/> | |||
| <blockquote>], and if we are afraid of driving on them we will be afraid of driving to ] and ] also.<ref name="JP"/></blockquote> | |||
| Tenet's visit backed up an effort by the ] to seize on Arafat's declaration in order to transform the ceasefire into a genuine halt to the reciprocal blood-letting.<ref name="rampage"/> On Wednesday, 6 June, the eve of Tenet's scheduled visit, the IDF announced it would award medals to the commanders and troops serving at ], where the child, ] had been shot dead. The news was seen as a blow to the restoration of trust. Thousands of demonstrators protested in Jerusalem against what they termed Sharon's "restraint policy".<ref name="rampage"/> That same evening, Palestinians were outraged when Sharon called Arafat a "murderer" and "pathological liar" in an interview addressing the Russian community that had been angered at his failure to retaliate for the disco bombing. The broadcast was carried on Israeli television. Though given the red-carpet treatment abroad, he added, Arafat did not act like a head of state but rather like the chief of terrorists and murderers.<ref name="lavie"/> | |||
| == Funeral and Reactions == | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | The funeral procession for Yehuda with settlers gathering in front of ]'s office in Jerusalem<ref name=hobart/> with the child's body carried before them.<ref>{{cite news|title=Jewish settlers in West Bank urge revenge for dead baby| |
||
| ⚫ | On Thursday, 7 June, speaking to reporters at a rally urging Ariel Sharon to retaliate for the attack on Yehuda and other recent attacks, Yehuda's father said "Unfortunately, our government is showing a lot of weakness in its response to terrorism".<ref>{{cite news|title=Israelis urge Sharon to End Restraint Plan|work=Press of Atlantic City|date=7 June 2001|page=A3}}</ref> He also declared:<blockquote>This is our land, these are our roads, and if we are afraid of driving to Tel Aviv <nowiki>]<nowiki>]</nowiki> and Netanya <nowiki>]<nowiki>]</nowiki> also.<ref name="JP"/></blockquote> | ||
| ==Negotiations, funeral and reactions== | |||
| Sharon also asked for prayers for the infant, and condemned the ] for inciting violence.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/12/world/israeli-palestinian-negotiations-break-off-after-4-hours.html | title=Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations Break Off After 4 Hours |first=Douglas|last=Frantz| publisher=NYT|date=12 June, 2001| accessdate=August 10, 2012}}</ref> | |||
| Tenet's meeting with both sides was postponed until Sunday, June 10, after the Americans realized the extent of their differences. Matters were buffeted by the killing of three ] women, struck by Israeli tank shells while in their tents in the Gaza Strip over the weekend, and the critical injuries sustained by an ] member in a car-bombing, which the group suspected as being the work of Israel.<ref name="I"/><ref name=bbcnews>, ] 11 Monday 2001.</ref> He proposed that Israel desist from attacking Palestinian targets and withdraw to the positions they held on ]. He asked Palestinians to thwart attacks on Israeli positions, to end what Israelis view as incitement in the media, and to proceed to arrest militant gunmen.<ref name=bbcnews/> | |||
| On Monday, 11 June, the day Yehuda died, Israeli Foreign Minister ] met the Palestinian minister for international co-operation, ] in Luxembourg to explore a compromise. Tenet eventually presided over a tense 4-hour meeting the following day, which was broken off after the gaps failed to be bridged. The Israelis insisted on the arrest of people they suspected of terrorism before they would allow a cooling-off period, while the Palestinians demanded that security arrangements be followed by an Israeli pledge to freeze to all construction in settlements in the occupied territories.<ref name=frantz>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/12/world/israeli-palestinian-negotiations-break-off-after-4-hours.html|title=Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations Break Off After 4 Hours|first=Douglas|last=Frantz|work=The New York Times|date=12 June 2001|access-date=10 August 2012}}</ref> The Palestinians refused to conduct what they called arbitrary arrests. The chief of staff of the Israeli army, General ], called the truce itself an optical illusion.<ref name=bbcnews/> | |||
| ⚫ | The funeral procession for Yehuda began with settlers gathering in front of ]'s office in Jerusalem<ref name=hobart/> with the child's body carried before them.<ref>{{cite news|title=Jewish settlers in West Bank urge revenge for dead baby|work=]|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4596021.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011213902/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4596021.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 October 2014|date=12 June 2001|page=25}}</ref> As Sharon stepped up to a podium to address them, settlers shouted "Vengeance!" and "Go to war".<ref name=sevareid>{{cite news|title=Injury to baby triggers rampage by Israeli settlers|first=Susan|last=Sevareid|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20010612/mide12/settlers-take-babys-body-to-sharon|work=]|others=] contributed to this report.|date=7 June 2001|page=A10}}</ref> Prime Minister Sharon spoke to the funeral procession outside his office,<ref name=hobart>{{cite news|title=Settlers blame Sharon for baby's death|work=Hobart Mercury|date=13 June 2001|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:AHMB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0FDC728F9943E7A7&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D663DC0A81A15EA|page=14}}</ref> and, acknowledging the settlers' impatience with a ceasefire,<ref name=sevareid/> said:<blockquote>If we stand firm and grit our teeth, and carry on even when the tears are choking us, we will win...<ref name="hobart"/> I am not here to make a speech, but to weep, to weep together with you. May the memory of Yehuda be blessed.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}}</blockquote> | ||
| From there the procession walked to the northern West Bank settlement of ] where Yehuda was buried. | |||
| One of Yehuda's cousins said, "Yehuda was just a baby, without sin or enemy, yet he was killed for one reason only, he was a Jew on his way home in ]."<ref name="Aish">{{cite web |
Sharon also asked for prayers for the infant, and accused the ] of inciting violence.<ref name=frantz/> From there the procession walked to the northern West Bank settlement of ] where Yehuda was buried. One of Yehuda's cousins said, "Yehuda was just a baby, without sin or enemy, yet he was killed for one reason only, he was a Jew on his way home in Eretz Yisrael <nowiki>]<nowiki>]</nowiki>."<ref name="Aish">{{cite web|url=http://www.aish.com/jw/id/48890982.html|title=My Cousin Yehuda|website=Aish|date=14 June 2001|access-date=12 August 2012|author=Harow, Ari}}</ref> In a letter to the ], Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations ] outlined Israel's position, which affirmed that the death of Yehuda Shoham constituted a "reprehensible act of terrorism" that took place just over two weeks after Israel had declared that it would refrain from initiating military action against Palestinians, and barely a week after Yassir Arafat had undertaken to fight violence and terrorism.<ref name="UN">{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/documents/ga/docs/56/a5691.pdf|title=Letter dated 11 June 2001 from the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General|publisher=UN|access-date=12 August 2012}}</ref> | ||
| In Yehuda's memory, his parents decided to collect donations for dormitories at the ] in Shiloh.{{ |
In Yehuda's memory, his parents decided to collect donations for dormitories at the ] in Shiloh.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} His parents also established the Yehuda Fund in January 2002 "in their son's memory."<ref name="Yehuda Fund">{{cite web|url=http://yehuda-fund.org/|title=Yehuda Fund|publisher=Yehuda Fund|access-date=7 August 2012|archive-date=28 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928075908/http://yehuda-fund.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{Reflist|2}} | {{Reflist|2}} | ||
| {{Terrorist attacks against Israelis in the 2000s}} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Shoham, Yehuda}} | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 03:27, 13 November 2024
2001 infant death during the Second Intifada
| Killing of Yehuda Shoham | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Second Intifada | |
  class=notpageimage| The location of Eli, West Bank | |
| Location | Eli, West Bank |
| Date | 5 June 2001; 23 years ago (2001-06-05) |
| Attack type | Stoning attack |
| Weapons | Large rock |
| Deaths | Yehuda Shoham |
| Perpetrators | Unknown |
The killing of Yehuda Shoham occurred on 5 June 2001 as the result of a stoning attack attributed to Palestinians on a civilian vehicle, from the Israeli settlement of Shilo, in which five-month-old American-Israeli Yehuda Shoham was seated. Rocks crashed through the car's windscreen and crushed the infant's skull. Shoham died of severe brain damage on 11 June 2001.
This stoning attack and the infant's death, six days later, made headlines in Israel. Both incidents were part of a Second Intifada that started in September, 2000 and by 12 June 2001 had claimed the lives of 489 Palestinians and 109 Israelis.
Attack
The incident occurred as Benny and Batsheva Shoham and their only child Yehuda approached Eli after paying a shiva call in Ra'anana.
Near Eli, Palestinians hiding at the roadside hurled rocks at the car which broke through the car's windscreen and crushed the infant's skull. The father continued driving, worried about an ambush, and at a nearby intersection, the couple noticed their baby's head injuries. Batsheva performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Yehuda until the arrival of paramedics.
Yehuda was taken to an intensive care unit at the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, where he lay unconscious and with severe head injuries. He was attached to a respirator for nearly a week before dying of severe brain damage on 11 July.
During his time in the hospital, Yehuda's parents gave him a second name, "Chaim," which means life, hoping that he would live. While in the hospital, Yehuda was visited by then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Background
The Second Intifada, which began 8 months earlier, marked a period of intensified Palestinian-Israeli violence. On 22 May, Sharon declared a unilateral ceasefire and refrained from retaliating against Palestinian attacks. On Friday, 1 June, a suicide bombing outside a Tel Aviv disco occurred which killed 21 people, mainly Israeli teenagers who had immigrated from Russia. The day after, Saturday, June 2, Yasser Arafat's call for a cease-fire staved off Israeli retaliation.
Aftermath
In the meantime, Israel took a variety of measures to reduce tension, with Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer citing a "significant reduction in the number of attacks". Though Palestinians would be subject to strict closure confining them to their towns, Israel eased some travel restrictions and Palestinians were to be allowed to return from Jordan and Egypt, raw materials would be permitted to enter and exit the Palestinian territories, and Palestinians would be allowed to return to their jobs in an industrial zone near the Erez crossing point. Palestinian security commanders traveled to trouble spots in the Gaza Strip to consult with local officers over the cease-fire enforcement.
When news of Yehuda's wounding spread on Tuesday, 5 June, far-right settlers urged Ariel Sharon to retaliate. The incident angered Israel's 200,000 settlers who urged Ariel Sharon to end Israel's "policy of restraint", and abandon the ceasefire. The Independent suggested that the incident would be cited by many Israelis as reason for stepping up military measures. The morning after Yehuda's wounding, at least 300 settlers, arriving in buses, assailed two villages adjacent to Shiloh, Assawiya, and Luban al-Sharkiya, which lay under curfew and within Israel's security responsibility, and, according to B'tselem, in the presence of, and according to local testimony, with the assistance of the IDF, fired a wheat harvest, a hothouse, a carpentry shop and a school, stole tools and shot a Palestinian youth in the stomach or the leg.
There were rock-throwing battles between settlers and Palestinians at the site of the attack on the Shohams' car during which one Israeli and seven Palestinians were injured. In addition, settlers in Hebron also attacked local Palestinian shopkeepers. The settlers had been a focal target of Palestinian militancy during an eight-month uprising. Two settlers were arrested by Israeli police as a result of the riots.
Though reluctant to become involved in the conflict, the U.S. dispatched C.I.A. director George Tenet, who was scheduled to meet separately with the Israeli and Palestinian sides on Thursday, June 7, in order to re-establish co-operation on security issues between the two parties, which had broken down after the IDF had shot at the car of the Gaza Strip security chief Mohammad Dahlan in mid-April, and had fired on the home of their West Bank security chief Jibril Rajoub in late May.
Tenet's visit backed up an effort by the European Union to seize on Arafat's declaration in order to transform the ceasefire into a genuine halt to the reciprocal blood-letting. On Wednesday, 6 June, the eve of Tenet's scheduled visit, the IDF announced it would award medals to the commanders and troops serving at Netzarim Junction, where the child, Mohammed al-Dura had been shot dead. The news was seen as a blow to the restoration of trust. Thousands of demonstrators protested in Jerusalem against what they termed Sharon's "restraint policy". That same evening, Palestinians were outraged when Sharon called Arafat a "murderer" and "pathological liar" in an interview addressing the Russian community that had been angered at his failure to retaliate for the disco bombing. The broadcast was carried on Israeli television. Though given the red-carpet treatment abroad, he added, Arafat did not act like a head of state but rather like the chief of terrorists and murderers.
On Thursday, 7 June, speaking to reporters at a rally urging Ariel Sharon to retaliate for the attack on Yehuda and other recent attacks, Yehuda's father said "Unfortunately, our government is showing a lot of weakness in its response to terrorism". He also declared:
This is our land, these are our roads, and if we are afraid of driving to Tel Aviv and Netanya also.
Negotiations, funeral and reactions
Tenet's meeting with both sides was postponed until Sunday, June 10, after the Americans realized the extent of their differences. Matters were buffeted by the killing of three Bedouin women, struck by Israeli tank shells while in their tents in the Gaza Strip over the weekend, and the critical injuries sustained by an Islamic Jihad member in a car-bombing, which the group suspected as being the work of Israel. He proposed that Israel desist from attacking Palestinian targets and withdraw to the positions they held on 28 September 2000. He asked Palestinians to thwart attacks on Israeli positions, to end what Israelis view as incitement in the media, and to proceed to arrest militant gunmen.
On Monday, 11 June, the day Yehuda died, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres met the Palestinian minister for international co-operation, Nabil Shaath in Luxembourg to explore a compromise. Tenet eventually presided over a tense 4-hour meeting the following day, which was broken off after the gaps failed to be bridged. The Israelis insisted on the arrest of people they suspected of terrorism before they would allow a cooling-off period, while the Palestinians demanded that security arrangements be followed by an Israeli pledge to freeze to all construction in settlements in the occupied territories. The Palestinians refused to conduct what they called arbitrary arrests. The chief of staff of the Israeli army, General Shaul Mofaz, called the truce itself an optical illusion.
The funeral procession for Yehuda began with settlers gathering in front of Ariel Sharon's office in Jerusalem with the child's body carried before them. As Sharon stepped up to a podium to address them, settlers shouted "Vengeance!" and "Go to war". Prime Minister Sharon spoke to the funeral procession outside his office, and, acknowledging the settlers' impatience with a ceasefire, said:
If we stand firm and grit our teeth, and carry on even when the tears are choking us, we will win... I am not here to make a speech, but to weep, to weep together with you. May the memory of Yehuda be blessed.
Sharon also asked for prayers for the infant, and accused the Palestinian Authority of inciting violence. From there the procession walked to the northern West Bank settlement of Shilo where Yehuda was buried. One of Yehuda's cousins said, "Yehuda was just a baby, without sin or enemy, yet he was killed for one reason only, he was a Jew on his way home in Eretz Yisrael ." In a letter to the United Nations, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Yehuda Lancry outlined Israel's position, which affirmed that the death of Yehuda Shoham constituted a "reprehensible act of terrorism" that took place just over two weeks after Israel had declared that it would refrain from initiating military action against Palestinians, and barely a week after Yassir Arafat had undertaken to fight violence and terrorism.
In Yehuda's memory, his parents decided to collect donations for dormitories at the yeshiva in Shiloh. His parents also established the Yehuda Fund in January 2002 "in their son's memory."
See also
- Murder of Helena Rapp
- Murder of Shalhevet Pass
- Murder of Tali Hatuel and her four daughters
- Murder of Ofir Rahum
- Death of Asher and Yonatan Palmer
- Children in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
References
- ^ "Yehuda Shoham // In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel". mfa.gov.il. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- "The Deadly Reality of Palestinian Rock Throwing". Israel Defense Forces. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- "Caught in the cross fire". The Washington Times. Associated Press. 11 September 2002. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ^ Lefkovits, Etgar (7 June 2001). "'It's as if we've been abandoned'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ Reeves, Phil (12 June 2001). "Settlers' baby dies after Palestinian stoning". The Independent. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ Sevareid, Susan (7 June 2001). "Injury to baby triggers rampage by Israeli settlers". The Seattle Times. Reuters contributed to this report. p. A10.
- Halle, Charlotte. "Disproportionate number of Anglos slain; Olmert praises families' dignity". Haaretz. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- Singer, David; Grossman, Lawrence (2003). American Jewish Year, Book 2002. VNR AG. p. 561. ISBN 0874951178.
- "'Arafat must be defeated,' protesters say. Three Israelis wounded in shooting near Ramallah; Shilo baby fights to survive after stoning". The Jerusalem Post. 7 June 2001.
- Philips, Alan (12 June 2001). "Israeli settlers mourn baby killed in stoning". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ "Settlers blame Sharon for baby's death". Hobart Mercury. 13 June 2001. p. 14.
- ^ Mark Lavie, "U.S. sending CIA director for security talks", Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, 6 June 2001.
- ^ "Settler rampage makes CIA chief's peace mission harder". The Scotsman. 7 June 2001. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- Nomi Morris (7 June 2001). "Settlers attack Palestinian village - Injury to baby triggers fury". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- Ron Dudai,"Free Rein: Vigilante Settlers and Israel's Non-Enforcement of the Law", B'tselem, October 2001, pp 9-11:'Israeli security forces were present throughout the events but did not prevent the violence. In fact, they prevented Palestinians from defending themselves, and even joined the settlers in their violence. Testimonies given to B'Tselem indicate that the soldiers also prohibited fire engines and ambulances from reaching the scene.'
- "Sharon attack blows away uneasy calm". The Birmingham Post. 7 June 2001.
- Jayson Keyser (6 June 2001). "Sharon supporters warn they're tired of Israeli restraint". Associated Press Archive. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- Nomi Morris (7 June 2001). "Settlers attack Palestinian village - Injury to baby triggers fury". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- "Israelis urge Sharon to End Restraint Plan". Press of Atlantic City. 7 June 2001. p. A3.
- ^ Mid-East ceasefire talks break up, BBC News 11 Monday 2001.
- ^ Frantz, Douglas (12 June 2001). "Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations Break Off After 4 Hours". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- "Jewish settlers in West Bank urge revenge for dead baby". Chicago Sun-Times. 12 June 2001. p. 25. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014.
- Harow, Ari (14 June 2001). "My Cousin Yehuda". Aish. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- "Letter dated 11 June 2001 from the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General" (PDF). UN. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- "Yehuda Fund". Yehuda Fund. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- Terrorism deaths in the West Bank
- People murdered in the Palestinian territories
- 2001 murders in the Palestinian territories
- Deaths by person in the State of Palestine
- Israeli terrorism victims
- Deaths by rocks thrown at cars
- Palestinian stone-throwing
- Terrorist incidents in the West Bank in 2001
- Child murder in the State of Palestine
- 2001 road incidents
- 2000s road incidents in Asia
- Road incidents in the State of Palestine
- June 2001 events in Asia
- June 2001 crimes
- Israeli casualties in the Second Intifada
- Children killed in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict