2002 Herzliya shawarma restaurant bombing

The 2002 Herzliya shawarma restaurant bombing took place on June 11, 2002 when a Palestinian suicide bomber set off a bomb at the Jamil (Mifgash Ha'Sharon) restaurant in the Israeli beach suburb of Herzliya.[1][2] The event resulted in the death of one teenager, Hadar Hershkowitz, and the injury of 15 people. The attack led Israel to lodge a formal complaint with the UN security council, citing it as evidence for a "campaign of Palestinian terrorism" against Israeli civilians.[3][4]

2002 Herzliya shawarma restaurant bombing
Part of the Second Intifada militancy campaign
The attack site
Location"Mifgash Ha'Sharon" restaurant, Herzliya, Israel
DateJune 11, 2002
7:30 pm (GMT+2)
Attack type
suicide bombing
Deaths1 Israeli child (+ 1 bomber)
Injured15 Israeli civilians
PerpetratorsAl-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility

The attack

At about 7:30 PM, a Palestinian suicide bomber set off a pipe bomb in the Shawarma restaurant "Mifgash Ha'Sharon" (AKA "Jamil"), where about 30 people were sitting.[5] The pipe bomb used in the attack was said to have been "relatively small."[5] A rescue worker said that one of the explosive devices the bomber was wearing did not detonate.[1] According to Israel, the explosives had been packed with nails and ball bearings.[3] A 14-year-old girl was killed in the attack and 15 additional people were injured in the attack.

According to Israeli sources, earlier that day, three Israeli high school students were injured when Palestinian militants attacked their school bus. One student was seriously injured. That same day, a Palestinian militant stabbed an Israeli policeman in Jerusalem.[3]

Fatalities
  • Hadar Hershkowitz, 14, of Herzliya[6] – the daughter of the director-general of the Hapoel Tel Aviv Football Club, Aryeh Hershkowitz.[7] Hershkowitz was to have graduated from junior high school the next day. She was brought to hospital in a very serious condition, and later died from her injuries.[8]

The perpetrators

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a military wing of Fatah, claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that it was "in retaliation for the daily incursions by the occupation forces against the cities, towns, villages and refugee camps". The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades spokesman stated that the suicide bomber was a 30-year-old Palestinian named Omar Zayadeh who originated from the Palestinian village of Ma'adama in the West Bank.[9][10][11]

Aftermath

In 2003, Israeli troops demolished the home of bomber.[12]

According to Palestinian Media Watch, an Israel-based media watchdog organization, in 2010 the Palestinian Authority built a monument honoring the bomber in the town square of the West Bank town of Madama.[2] The monument, in the form of a pyramid, features portraits of Yasser Arafat and of the bomber.[2] Below the bomber's portrait are the words, "The heroic Shahada – Seeker (Martyrdom- Seeker) Omar Muhammad Ziyada (Abu Samed) who carried out the heroic Herzliya operation on June 11, 2002."[2]

Official reactions
Involved parties

 Israel: David Baker, an official in Sharon's office, condemned the attack as "another example of the Palestinians' intention to commit murder for the sake of murder".[13]

 Palestinian territories:

  • Palestinian National Authority: PA officials condemned the attack, stating it was wrong to attack innocent people on the street.[14] In the statement, the authority said it would do its "utmost" to prevent future attacks.[1]
  • Senior Hamas officials said the attack is "a natural response to Israel's crimes in the territories."[8]

See also

References
  1. Teen killed in terror bombing near Tel Aviv Archived 2012-10-10 at the Wayback Machine. CNN. June 11, 2002
  2. "PA town square memorial honors suicide terrorist and his attack as 'heroic,'" Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook, August 19, 2002, Palestine Media Watch.
  3. Israeli complaint to the UN Security Council Archived 2012-10-21 at the Wayback Machine. 14 June 2002.
  4. MIDEAST TURMOIL: RAMALLAH; Israelis Pull Back From Arafat Compound. New York Times. June 13, 2002
  5. "Hadar Hershkowitz, June 11, 2002," Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accessed August 19, 2010,
  6. Hadar Hershkowitz
  7. "A funeral instead of graduation," Archived 2011-06-12 at the Wayback Machine Tovah Lazaroff, June 13, 2002, Jerusalem Post.
  8. Girl dies, 9 hurt in suicide bomb attack on Herzliya restaurant. Haim Shadmi, Amit Ben-Aroya, Ha'aretz
  9. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claims responsibility for Herzliya attack; 70-year-old Palestinian killed south of Jerusalem | Al Bawaba
  10. Amnesty demands PFLP chief's release; new PA cabinet meets. AMIRA HASS and AMOS HAREL. Ha'aretz, 14 June 2002
  11. كتائب الأقصى تتبنى عملية هرتسليا وقوات الاحتلال تعتقل فلسطينيتين بدعوى التخطيط لعمليتين فدائيتين Archived 2012-04-01 at the Wayback Machine. Ashraq al-Awsat (In Arabic)
  12. IDF kills Palestinian in W. Bank. By Amos Harel. Haaretz
  13. Injured teen dies after suicide bombing
  14. Teenage girl killed in Israel bomb blast. BBC. 12 June 2002

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