Zionist Organization of America News Release, September 20, 2002
NEW YORK – A Palestinian Arab terrorist who is responsible for murdering three
American citizens and wounding five others is among those being sheltered in
Yasir Arafat’s compound in Ramallah, whose surrender Israel is demanding. The
Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is urging the Bush administration to
demand that Arafat surrender him for extradition to the United States.
According to Israel Radio (Sept.20, 2002), one of those being sheltered in
Arafat’s compound is Mahmoud Damra, the Ramallah-area commander of
Arafat’s Force 17.
In early 2001, a group of Force 17 terrorists captured by Israel
confessed to a series of attacks, including the October 30, 2000 murder of U.S.
citizen Esh-Kodesh Gilmore (whose parents are from Ohio and New Jersey) and
the December 31, 2000 attack in which U.S. citizens Binyamin and Talia
Kahane (from New York) were murdered, and five of their children were
wounded.
The terrorists said they operated under the direct command of Mahmoud
Damra. (Jerusalem Post, Jan. 28, 2001, March 16, 2001 & April 24, 2001)
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said: “If a murderer of Americans was
being sheltered in the offices of any other foreign leader, the Bush
administration would demand that the murderer be handed over — and it might
well send in FBI agents to apprehend him, if necessary. Why is the
administration silent when Arafat shelters murderers of Americans?”
The ZOA notes that President Bush said on September 11, 2001: “We will
make no distinction between terrorists and those who harbor them.”
Despite this statement, the Bush administration ignores Arafat’s
harboring of murderers of Americans and continues sending $100-million each
year to the Palestinian Arabs.
* A total of 36 American citizens have been murdered by Palestinian Arab
terrorists since the signing of the Oslo accords in 1993, 24 of them since the
Palestinian Authority launched the current wave of violence against Israel in
September 2000.
* In addition, 69 Americans have been wounded since 1993, 44 of them since
September 2000.
* At least 103 Americans have been murdered by Palestinian Arab terrorists,
and 120 wounded, since 1968.
NOTE: For a free copy of the ZOA’s important new publication, The Forgotten
Victims: American Citizens Murdered by Palestinian Arab Terrorists, please call
the ZOA at 212-481-1500.
