On 20 June 2003 Howard (Zvi; Tzvi) Goldstein, age 47, his wife Michal, and Goldstein's parents, Lorraine, 73, and Eugene, 73, Goldstein drove on
Route 60 en route to a party in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
celebrating the wedding of Michal and Zvi Goldstein's son, David, which had taken place on the previous day. Two members of a
Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
cell waiting in ambush on the roadside opened fire with
AK-47
The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas operated, gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian s ...
s, hitting all four occupants of the car. Eugene Goldstein took the steering wheel and to help his injured son drive the car away from the gunmen and drove eight miles for medical help before the car flipped over.
[
Zvi Goldstein, a technical writer who had immigrated from the U.S. to Israel, died of his injuries.] Michal Goldstein survived. Lorraine Goldstein survived, although a series of operations to repair her damaged jaw caused by a bullet left her with little motion in her mouth. Eugene Goldstein survived with "a bullet lodged near his heart from (the) ambush." The survivors were taken to Hadassah Medical Center
Hadassah Medical Center ( he, הָמֶרְכָּז הָרְפוּאִי הֲדַסָּה) is an Israeli medical organization established in 1934 that operates two university hospitals in Jerusalem – one in Ein Karem and one in Mount Scopus –, ...
.[
]
Hamas
Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
immediately claimed responsibility for the shooting attack. This claim, in 2003, was described by the ''Haaretz
''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...
'' newspaper as "surprising," since, according to writer Amos Harel
Amos Harel is an Israeli journalist.
Personal
He graduated from Tel Aviv University and lives in Hod Hasharon.
Journalism career
As of 2014 he is the military and defense analyst for the Israeli newspaper '' Haaretz''.
From 1999 to 2005 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.[
On 21 June, the ]Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
killed Abdullah Qawasmeh, who was believed to be the senior Hamas commander in the Hebron area.
Immediate impact
The attack was also described as disruptive to the Road map for peace
The Roadmap for peace or road map for peace ( he, מפת הדרכים ''Mapa had'rakhim'', ''Khāriṭa ṭarīq as-salāmu'') was a plan to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict proposed by the Quartet on the Middle East: the United State ...
, an initiative involving United States Secretary of State Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell ( ; April 5, 1937 – October 18, 2021) was an American politician, statesman, diplomat, and United States Army officer who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African ...
, who was in Jerusalem at the time of the ambush. According to Ian Fisher of ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', the attack was interpreted "as a message to Mr. Powell, the Israelis and its Palestinian supporters that Hamas remains strong and very much active."[
]
Lawsuit
In 2004 Lorraine and Eugene Goldstein, who live in Plainview, New York
Plainview is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located near the North Shore of Long Island in the town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population of the CDP was 27,100. The Plainview post office has t ...
, sued the Arab Bank
Arab Bank is one of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East, founded in 1930 in Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine, as the first private sector financial institution in the Arab world. Headquartered today in Amman, Jordan, it serves c ...
for laundering money used to fund Hamas terror attacks targeting Israelis, including the attack in which his son, Howard, was killed.
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
The Crédit Lyonnais (, "Lyon Credit ompany) was a major French bank, created in 1863 and absorbed by former rival Crédit Agricole in 2003. Its head office was initially in Lyon but moved to Paris in 1882. In the early years of the 20th cent ...
, Arab Bank, and NatWest
National Westminster Bank, commonly known as NatWest, is a major retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom based in London, England. It was established in 1968 by the merger of National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank. In 2000, it ...
, alleging that all three banks were involved in channeling money to Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
, which has been listed by the government of the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
as a terrorist organization since 1997.[ 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.]
In August 2015, Arab Bank
Arab Bank is one of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East, founded in 1930 in Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine, as the first private sector financial institution in the Arab world. Headquartered today in Amman, Jordan, it serves c ...
agreed to a confidential settlement with hundreds of American victims of terrorism, including the Goldsteins.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Route 60 Hamas ambush
Terrorist incidents in Israel in 2003
Terrorist attacks attributed to Palestinian militant groups
June 2003 events in Asia
Hamas attacks
2003 murders in Israel