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A radical Palestinian group says it carried out the killing. Israeli officials pledge a ''war to the finish'' against terrorism.
©Associated Press
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 18, 2001
JERUSALEM -- Israel's tourism minister, a retired general who advocated the expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza, was assassinated Wednesday in a hotel hallway. A radical Palestinian group claimed responsibility.
Rehavam Zeevi, 75, was the first Cabinet minister to be slain by Palestinians. His killing provoked outrage in Israel and raised the specter of a new outburst of violence at a time when Israel and the Palestinians are trying to patch up a shaky U.S.-supported truce.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pledged "a war to the finish against the terrorists, their helpers and those who sent them." Israel swiftly reimposed travel restrictions in the West Bank that had been eased this week as part of the Sept. 26 cease-fire deal.
Late Wednesday, Sharon and his security Cabinet issued an ultimatum to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, demanding that he extradite those responsible for the assassination and disarm and dismantle all terrorist organizations operating in Palestinian territory. Failure to comply "will leave us with no choice but to view the Palestinian Authority as an entity supporting and sponsoring terror, and to act accordingly."
Sharon said in an address to Parliament: "The full responsibility falls squarely on Arafat, as someone who has controlled, and continues to control terrorism, and as one who has not -- to this day -- taken even one serious step to prevent terrorism."
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for Zeevi's slaying, calling it revenge for the Aug. 27 killing of its leader Mustafa Zibri in an Israeli missile attack. Israel said it targeted Zibri, the highest-ranking Palestinian leader killed in the Mideast fighting, for organizing multiple car bombings.
Later, the PFLP also claimed responsibility for a nighttime suicide bomb attack in Israel, next to the Gaza Strip border, in which two soldiers were injured. It would be the first suicide bombing by a secular Palestinian organization.
President Bush condemned the assassination "in the strongest terms" and called it a "despicable act," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. "It is time for the Palestinian Authority to take vigorous action against terrorists," he said. "Words are not enough."
It was not known if Zeevi was slain by one attacker or by a group, and no arrests were made at the scene.
The PFLP released a video showing three masked gunmen standing next to a large poster of Zibri. One of the gunmen said that "Rehavam Zeevi will only be the first," and suggested two more killings would follow.
The PFLP is part of the Palestine Liberation Organization, led by Arafat, but the PFLP has rejected interim peace deals with Israel. Other radical Palestinian groups, like Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, are not in the PLO.
In a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, PFLP supporters cheered, danced and distributed sweets to celebrate the killing.
Arafat reportedly gave his security forces orders to track down and arrest the assailants.
Palestinian security officials arrested Ali Jaradat, the PFLP spokesman, after an interview in which he defended the killing. PFLP officials said at least seven other activists also were detained.
"We stand against all political assassinations, despite the fact that Mr. Zeevi espoused hostile policies toward the Palestinian people, including advocating the forced transfer of millions of Palestinians," said Yasser Abed Rabbo, the Palestinian information minister.
The Palestinian Authority said it had warned that Israel's policy of targeted killings, directed at Palestinian militants suspected of attacks on Israelis, could lead to escalation. In the past year of fighting, Israel has killed more than 50 Palestinians, including several bystanders, in such attacks.
Zeevi was shot in the head and neck as he returned to his eighth-floor room in the Hyatt Hotel after breakfast. His wife found him moments later, bleeding and unconscious on the floor. Israel TV said Zeevi was killed with a silencer-equipped weapon.
The hotel is at the edge of Mount Scopus, a pocket of Israeli territory inside traditionally Arab east Jerusalem. Zeevi stayed at the hotel while Parliament was in session to underline Israel's claim to all of the disputed city. The Palestinians claim the Arab section of Jerusalem as their capital.
Zeevi had been the target of many verbal threats and was entitled to a bodyguard. However, he rejected protection as a matter of principle, fellow ministers said.
In Israel, Zeevi, a veteran of Israel's wars in 1948, 1956 and 1967, was respected by some for his distinguished military record. But his political views were condemned by others as racist.
He sparked controversy in July by comparing Palestinians working and living illegally in Israel to "lice" and a "cancer."
Zeevi was first elected to Parliament in 1988 as head of a fringe party that advocated removal of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza.
He resigned from Sharon's government Monday, accusing it of buckling to American pressure and softening its stance toward the Palestinians. His resignation was to take effect Wednesday
Despite his fringe views, Zeevi was a charter member of Israel's insider elite, known for his prickly charm and personal loyalty. He had close friendships with many left-leaning politicians.