No word for it but terror

An AWOL Israeli soldier, evidently upset about the pullout from Gaza, went on a shooting rampage in Jerusalem:

A 19-year-old Israeli soldier opened fire inside a bus Thursday, killing four Israeli Arabs before being killed by an angry mob — the deadliest attack on Arabs in Israel by a Jewish extremist since 1990.

Thirteen people, including bus passengers and two policemen, were wounded in the shooting, which appeared to be tied to tensions over this month's Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank.

The military tentatively identified the gunman as Pvt. Edan Natan Zaada, a resident of the extremist Jewish settlement of Tapuah in the West Bank. Zaada's father, Yitzhak, told The Associated Press that his son ran away from his army unit several weeks ago, after he was told he would have to participate in the Gaza pullout.

Israel Radio said the gunman was bludgeoned to death by an angry crowd. After the attack, the gunman's body was seen on the floor of the bus. Police had covered his head with a black plastic bag. His shirtless upper torso was heavily bruised and bloodied.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon denounced the shooting as "a despicable act by a bloodthirsty terrorist" and ordered police to give top priority to the investigation. Settler leaders also condemned the attack.

So, will Ken Livingstone or John Pilger make excuses for this because of the gunman's "desperation"? Don't hold your breath. (And, of course, they shouldn't - and neither should defenders of Israel. This act was vile, unforgivable and unjustifiable terrorism.)

Note, by the way, that many of the same wire services which judiciously avoid the "M" word when describing attacks by Palestinians mention the gunman's Jewish faith in their headlines.

Posted by damian at August 4, 2005 06:20 PM | TrackBack