Netanya Market Bombing

The Netanya Market bombing was a suicide bombing which occurred on 19 May 2002 at the entrance to the main fruit and vegetable open-air market in Netanya. The site of the attack was chosen in order to cause maximum number of casualties. Three people were killed in the attack, and 56–59 were injured.

Background

Netanya has been a frequent target of Palestinian suicide bombers. A prior attack on 27 March 2002 at the Park Hotel in Netanya killed 29 people during the Jewish Passover Seder and triggered Operation Defensive Shield, a large Israeli military offensive in the West Bank.

The attack

On Sunday, 19 May 2002, during the afternoon hours, a Palestinian suicide bomber disguised as an IDF soldier managed to slip through several police checkpoints with the assistance of a female collaborator.The Role of Palestinian Women in Suicide Terrorism
mfa.gov.il. Accessed 1 November 2022. The suicide bomber who wore an explosive belt hidden underneath his clothes, packed with nails and bolts,Inigo Gilmore.
"Nail bomber kills three in Israeli market", ''The Telegraph'' (UK). 20 May 2002. and detonated the explosive device at the entrance to the main open market of the Israeli coastal city of Netanya. The blast killed three civilians and injured 56 people, at least 10 of whom were left in severe condition.

Two Palestinian militant groups, Hamas and the PFLP, claimed responsibility for the attack. The attack is thought to have been carried out by the PFLP's Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades.

The PFLP said the attack purpose was to protest the detention of the group's leader, Ahmad Saadat, by the Palestinian Authority in connection with the PFLP assassination of the Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Ze'evi.

Subsequent related events

Lawsuits were filed against Arab Bank, NatWest and Crédit Lyonnais for channeling money to Hamas.

In response to the attack Israeli army forces conducted several operational activities in the towns of Tulkarm and Ramallah in the West Bank for a relatively short period time during the late Sunday, though there was no major Israeli retaliation for the Netanya Market bombing.

After the attack the Israeli defense establishment stated that the attack was ordered by the head of the PFLP Ahmed Saadat from his cell in the PA-run Jericho Prison, under U.S. and British supervision. They also found that the suicide bomber managed to reach the market in Netanya with the assistance of another person who drove him there.

Later on it was revealed that the driver was Adel Adnan Mahmoud Jumaa, a resident of Taybeh who later on confessed that she was asked to accompany the suicide bomber provide cover as an innocent-looking couple.

In addition, after the attack Israeli officials revealed that the Israeli security forces received an actual warning about the attack 20 minutes before the suicide bomber detonated his explosive device but added that at that point they were powerless from stopping him.

On June 30, 2003 an Israeli Military Court sentenced Da'a Jiusi to three life sentences plus 30 years in prison. Jiusi was convicted of leading a suicide bomber to explode in a civilian market.

Another man, Alam Kabi from Nablus, was sentenced in 2004 to nine life sentences, for dispatching the suicide bomber who perpetrated the Netanya Market bombing, along with several other attacks.

Jiwasi's Release

On 18 October 2011, Jiwasi Ziyad Dawa'a, who was originally sentenced to 3 life sentences, was released to the West Bank as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas.

Official reactions

;Involved parties
: Immediately after the attack in Netanya, Israeli officials stated that Israeli government was unlikely to launch a broad military operation in retaliation to the terror attack. Instead, they stated that Israeli military forces would continue to carry out targeted raids against armed Palestinian militants.

: PNA officials issued a statement declaring "full condemnation for the terror attack that targeted Israeli civilians."Online NewsHour Update: Suicide Bombers Strike Israel–May 20, 2002
/ref>

; International
:
* U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney called on Yasser Arafat to crack down on Palestinian militant armed groups but added that "there clearly is a class of bombings that he can't rein in". Cheney also stated that the United States plans to send CIA Director George Tenet to the region to assist the security forces of Arafat in targeting the militant organizations.
* National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice stated that the attack underlined the need of the Palestinians leadership in creating "a unified security apparatus that can be accountable and can deal with issues of terrorism."
: British Foreign Office spokesman has stated that the UK has asked Israel to provide evidence that Ahmed Saadat, the head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), gave a green light for the attack in the Netanya Market bombing while held by British and American warders in the West Bank city of Jericho.

References

External links

Israel blast kills 3, wounds at least 50
– published on USA Today on May 21, 2002

Suicide bomber kills 3 Israelis, injures 56
– published on CNN on May 19, 2002

Bomb shatters Israeli calm
– published on BBC News on May 19, 2002

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/05/19/world/main509509.shtml
– published on CBS News on May 19, 2002

Three killed, 56 injured in suicide attack in Netanya
– published on Haaretz on May 19, 2002

Do Female suicide bombers go through a less thorough examination?
– published on ynet on May 19, 2002 (Hebrew)

Israeli Market Bombed; At Least 3 Killed In Suicide Attack
– published on the Washington Post on May 20, 2002

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2002 murders in Asia
Suicide bombings in 2002
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine attacks
Terrorist incidents in Israel in 2002
May 2002 events in Asia
Hamas suicide bombings
Marketplace attacks in Asia
Islamic terrorism in Israel