(NEW YORK) Over the past few years, the State Department has offered a wide variety of unusual excuses for refusing to offer rewards to help capture Palestinian Arab killers of Americans-but now it has come up with the most incredible excuse yet: that offering rewards “would be detrimental” to efforts to capture the killers!

The State Department makes this claim, on page’ 13 of its just-released second biannualreponin CongressonU.S. efforts to capture Palestinian Arab terrorists who have murdered or injured American citizeirs, The report-which was delivered to Congress more than four inotalts late- is required by the terms of the AshcroftSalmon bill, passed by Congress in November 1999, It was strongly supported by the, Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), which has led the nationwide crunpaigntoptessuretheU.S, government to take inearmigful action on behalf of American victims of Palestinian Arab trafforism.

It has neverbehare claimed thatrewards in these cases would somehow hatin the poss&lity of capturing the terrorists. For example, at a meeting with Jewish leaders on Sept. 29~ 1999, Secretary Albright said that die rewards issue “is nol a simple inatler and is too complicated to discuss at flus meetinig,” At a meeting with Jewish leaders on Feb,15, 2000, U.S. envoy Dennis Ross said that “for masons of national Security” rewards cannot be offered in these cases. He did not explain flow it is that national security would be harmed by rewards in these cases, but in the inany other cases in winch mwariK me altemlyoffeued. MichaclDarruirantoofthe State Dclaniment claimed (L.A. Jewish Journal, July 28, 2000) that rewards are offered only in cases where the victints were targeted specifically because they were Americans (wlucliw~uld act apply to those killed by Palestinian Arab terrorists), but that claim was false-in fact. newards am offered in cases in other countries where the victims were not even Americans or where the victims were killed at random. not bccluse they were American.

Motion A, Klein, National President of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), said: “‘file State Department’s

ludicrous ‘explanation! for refirsing to offer rewards would be laughable were itnotsotragic. Itis now painfully clear that the real mason is that the State Department wants to protect Yasser Arafat’s image so that them will be future negotiations with him-and if the American public was to realize that Arafat is sheltering killers of Auacricaras~ it would be impossible for the U. S. to push for nagotiation§ with him.”

Additional serious flaws in the State Deparunciusteport:

Both the Palestinian Authority mid Israel say that the killers are fire-yet the State Department claims that the PA is still oldingtheiii.

Speaking onthe PA’s official Palestine Television on Nov. 6,2000, PA police chief Ghazi Jabafi “confirmed that most wanted terrorist Molianamed Dicf is frac.” Jabab said that “not even one” of the terrorists who have killed Israelis orAmericas is still

in a PA prison, He specifically denied urnors that some racently-relmed Hamas terrorists had been re-arrested. (Jerusalem Post, Nov.7, 2000) The Israeli government has, identified, by narne, 21 Palestinian Arab terrorists involved in harming Americans who are living frociv in Yasser Arafat’s PA territory. Yet the State Department ignores the PA’s own statements. and claims that 19 of the 23 killers are ‘mPA custody,”

In one case in which the State Department admits~ that the PA released a terrorist, Hisharn al-Dib (involved in a Marcli 1996 bombing that wounded an Arn6rican), the report excuses the release on tile gromals that lie was ‘reportedly released to his home for medical masons.”

The ~tme Deparlincia repon ignores Israeli governinient statements that killers of Americans are in the PA police,

The State Department is required to report on whether any of the suspects are serving in the PA Security Forces or ‘any Palestinian goverrung body,” The report claims ill-it tile U,S. has “no confirmed infonountion” that any of the suspects field such positions. (p. 15)

yet the , Israeli government has repeatedly immedsusitcetswite, are wrving in the PA security forces- including Nafez Sabih, Kamal Khafifa. Yasser Yusef Mustafa Khasin. and Malmoid Sanwax, who were involved in a February 25, 1996 Jerasalcin bus bombing, in which duce U.S. ciuz;cns were nandcred-Mattliew Fiserifeldof Connecticutand Sara Dakerof New Jersey, who were planning to be

married, and In Weinstein of Neyv Yo& Bassam Issa, who was involved in an October 9, 1994 bombing in Jerusalem in n Inch Uvo U.S. citizens. Scott DubQrstcrn and Eric Goldberg, were injured: and a December 25, 1994 bombing in Jerusalem which one U.S. citizen, Sarah Greenberg, wasinjured. Issa has also been mined in an Israeli government report as a suspect in the abovc~nrenticyred Febmarv 1996 bonibinginNituchti~ceAmericwiciti7.ens weackilled.

In addition, numerous Palestinian Arab mirmists involved in pm-1993 attacks on Americans are serving in PA agencies, including: Ziad Abu Eam, the PA’s Comptroller, who was convicted of carrying out a 1979 bombing winch seriously harmed two American citizens, Charon and Hava Mark, Mrs. Mark was pcinimmently crippledintlactaoinbing.

Also- Aman el-Hindi chief of the PA’s General Intelligence Service. helped plan

the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre in which David Berger, a member of the Israeli athletic team who was also an American citizen. was murdered. along with eleven other innocent people. The Israeli government refused to meet with a PA delegation because Hindi was part of tile group, (New York Tunes, Oct 14,1993) The State Department report evades the issue of the administration’s failure to indict tiny Palestinian Arab killers of Americans.

The State Department report chains: “the U.S. government attaches a high priority to ensuring that the perpetrators of these terratistacts am brought tojustice.” (p.1) YcL~ the report does not explain oliv the U’S, has ncler indicted qnV of file Palestinian Arab killeas of Americans, nrul has never asked Arafat to transfer the kiflerstit I J.S.prosecution.

Some adinniustration officials have previously claimed thal them was not sufficient evidence to indict these suspects. Yet, finjul Hinani, who murdemd U q cummi David Brain in May 1996. fmcIV confessed to his crime before a Palestinian Authority court, in the presence of an American Consulate official, The confession could be the basis for a U.S~ iitdictiiient-iftlicadiiiinistv,idonsoctiose

In violation of U.S. law, the new State Department report fails to provide the required list of Americans injured or killed by Palestinian Arab terrorists prior to 1993.

The State Department is required b~ law to provide Congress with a list of all Amen . Can citizens injured or killed by Palestinian Arab terrorists between 1950

and 1993, In its previous report (JW3 2000), the Slate Department said it was still working on the list and will “provide it to the Congress as soonas it canicasombly be inadc available” The ZOA then provided the State Deparmwirt with a detailed list of 64 Americans murdered by Palestinian Arab terrorists prior to 1993. Nevertheless- in violation of the law, the new report does not include any list ofthe pm-1993 victims.

The new State Department report contains serious emers. Incredibly, the April 2001 repair repeats all of the enrim; made in the July 2000 report-even though both the ZOA and families of the N ictims wrote to the State Department with the conectinionuatiom

Day Dribben, a U.S. citizen who was murdered by Palestinian Arab terrorists in April 1998, was not mentioned in the hil~ 2000 report. Dribben is the great-grandson of a legendary and inuch-docormcd U.S Amy hem from Texas. Members of the Dribbez family wrote to the State Department in July 2000 to express their 1~ shock and outrag~’ thmDovAvas excluded from the report. Nevertheless, he has been excluded from the April 2001 report.

The April 2001 report states that it “does not add~s the recent incidents in which two dual U.S.-Israch 067~ns. Esh Chadosh fsicj Gilmore and flillel Licbernam were killed, We stilt do not know the exact circumstances of these incidents” In fact, these nandersmere not

were killed in October 2000i the State Departroem has had inore than five months to look into the kilfings~ Furtheirinarc, nothing in the law exempts tile State Department from reporting on a victunbecausc itilocsimtknow the `e~.ct cimunistances” of the murder-all the State Department needs to know is thm the victims were Anicircirris and the killers were evident1v Palestinian Ambq; offliese facistherecarthairo-dol3bl-

The April 2001 report fails to mention that two additional U.S. citizens, Bunamin mid Talia Kahane. were murdered (and five of their children, also U,S, citizens, were wounded) bv Palestinian Arab lemarists on December 31, 2ooo. Mcrubcrs of Yasser Arafat’s Force 17 ‘presidential ~Luirdl subsequently confessed to the murders.

Rachel Munk, air Israeli of Argentinean Origin’WhO WaS Tourchaed by Palestima, Arab terrorists in 1996. was wrongbr listed ,to tile July 2000 report as a U.S. citizen The ZOA infornualthe State Department tint Mark’s parents have stated their daughter was not a U.S, citizen yet the Aprd’2001 fePor(ugainst lists Munkasm American

Names ofsolue ofthe N ictinis are once again badl ‘ N misspelled, indicating that the State Department did Dot take basic steps such Is calling the families of the victims. The ZOA maintains close relationships w ith the lainfies, of die victims, aid not one of them has reported receiving am, inquiries from the State Departumm.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 29th, 2001 and is filed under arabpress.