Jerusalem September 10. 2003 Israel
Seven people were killed and over 50 wounded when a suicide bomber exploded
at 11:20 p.m. at Cafe Hillel on Emek Refaim St., the main thoroughfare of
the German Colony neighborhood in Jerusalem. According to an eyewitness, the
bomber tried to get into a Pizza Meter restaurant but was rebuffed by a security
guard, so he went into the crowded Cafe Hillel next door. The guard at the
entrance to the cafe tried to prevent the bomber from entering, but he had
managed to get several meters inside. Hamas claimed responsibility for the
attack.
The Hamas (a word meaning courage and bravery) is a radical Islamic organization
which became active in the early stages of the Intifada, operating primarily
in the Gaza Strip but also in the West Bank. The Hamas has played a major
role in violent fundamentalist subversion and radical terrorist operations
against both Israelis and Arabs. In its initial period, the movement was headed
primarily by people identified with the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in the Territories.
In the course of the Intifada, Hamas gained momentum, expanding its activity
also in the West Bank, to become the dominant Islamic fundamentalist organization
in the Territories. It defined its highest priority as Jihad (Holy War) for
the liberation of Palestine and the establishment of an Islamic Palestine
"from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River". By its participation
in street violence and murder, it boosted its appeal in the eyes of the Palestinians,
further enhancing its growth potential and enabling it to play a central role
in the Intifada. As a result of its subversive and terrorist activity, Hamas
was outlawed in September 1989.
After the Gulf War, Hamas has become the leading perpetrator of terrorist
activity throughout the Territories as well as inside Israel. Today it is
the second most powerful group, after Fatah, and is sometimes viewed as threatening
the hegemony of the secular nationalists. It is currently the strongest opposition
group to the peace process and the escalation of its terrorist activity through
the murderous suicide bombings against civil targets in Israel. In February-March
1996 has slowed down the political process and threatens to stop it altogether.
