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November 19, 2003
Two soldiers killed by gunman
By MARGOT DUDKEVITCH
Sgt.-Maj. Shlomi Belsky, 23, of Haifa, and St.-Sgt. Shaul Lahav, 20, of Kibbutz Shomrat, were killed by a Palestinian gunman at the roadblock they were manning at the entrance to the tunnels on the Bethlehem bypass road south of Jerusalem early Tuesday.
At around 6 a. m., the gunman, his Kalashnikov rifle concealed in a rolled-up prayer mat, approached the roadblock on foot until he came within approximately five meters of the soldiers. He then took out his weapon and shot Lahav, the commander of the roadblock, after the latter called out to him to halt, an IDF officer said.
The gunman then shot Belsky, the driver of a jeep parked at the roadblock, who was talking to his mother on his cellphone at the time. The gunman then fled to a waiting car that took him back toward El-Khader.
A third soldier at the roadblock fired several shots at the fleeing gunman but failed to hit him. Lahav, who wore a ceramic bulletproof vest, was shot in the neck, and Belsky, who wore a regular flak jacket, was shot in the chest. A Magen David Adom crew who were driving nearby raced to the roadblock and attempted unsuccessfully to save the soldiers on the way to Hadassah-University Hospital in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem, where doctors pronounced them dead.
The attack occurred amid speculation about a second Palestinian cease-fire and talk of a meeting between Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon within days.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz condemned the attack, describing it as a serious incident at a time when Israel seeks to renew dialogue with the Palestinians and give Qurei’s new government a chance.
’In my eyes this was very serious, especially in light of the desire to resume talks with the Palestinians and achieve a different reality,’ said Mofaz .
’I believe that the government of Abu Ala [Qurei] will be tested first and foremost on its deeds,’ Mofaz told reporters during a visit to the North. ’As far as I understand, the Palestinian security forces will be under the control of [PA Chairman Yasser] Arafat, which will undoubtedly not create the right conditions for dealing with terrorism.’
In response to the deadly shooting, the IDF imposed a blockade on Bethlehem and soldiers conducted searches in El-Khader where a curfew was imposed, pulling out at nightfall. Palestinian reported that three people were arrested.
It is the first time that the army has been forced to impose restrictions on the area since it was handed over to PA security control at the beginning of July on the understanding that the PA would combat terrorism.
The army launched an investigation into the soldiers’ response to the attack, particularly the fact that they failed to shoot the terrorist or pursue him. Officials will also investigate how the gunman succeeded in getting so close to the soldiers without being stopped and his mat checked.
It was the third attack, but the first fatal one, in the area since Israel handed over security control. Last month, shots were fired at soldiers manning the same roadblock and in August terrorists shot and wounded a mother and her three children as they drove on the Walaja road leading to Har Gilo, approximately a kilometer away.
Shaul Goldstein, vice chairman of the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip, blamed the IDF withdrawal from Bethlehem for making the Bethlehem bypass road less secure, even though he credited the IDF for working hard to protect the travelers on the road. He said that the daily traffic of 20,000 to 30,000 cars would continue despite the attack.
In response to Tuesday’s attack, senior IDF commanders said plans to further ease up restrictions on Palestinians living in the area were now in doubt. ’We will have to consider the easing up of restrictions, the attack shows that there are terrorists still roaming the area freely and proves that the PA has done nothing to combat terror in the area,’ one officer told The Jerusalem Post.
’While it is the third incident in the area since August, the failure of the PA to act has forced us to operate in the area and arrest terrorism suspects,’ the officer added.
Officers noted that, since the Palestinians received security responsibility for Bethlehem, Israel had lifted a number of restrictions in the area and in the past months up to 4,000 Palestinian laborers and merchants from the city were permitted to cross the Green Line daily. In addition a ban on tourists entering Bethlehem was also lifted.
’Whenever changes were made and restrictions lifted, Bethlehem was the first place to enjoy the changes, partly because it was considered to be fairly quiet and also because the Palestinians received security control of the area,’ an officer said.
David Rudge contributed to this report
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