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| By Ellis Shuman September 24, 2001 |
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Salit Sheetrit, a 28-year-old resident of Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu, was shot and mortally wounded early this morning near Shdemot Mehola in the Jordan Valley. The shots were apparently fired from a passing Palestinian vehicle. Sheetrit's husband sustained minor injuries. The shooting attack, following a night of relative quiet, further endangered chances of a Peres-Arafat meeting, which had been tentatively scheduled for today.
The attack occurred this morning at about 7:30 a.m. when the Israeli couple was driving south on Highway 90, the main Jordan Valley road. Approximately one kilometer after an IDF roadblock, near the settlement of Shdemot Mehola, shots were fired at their car, apparently from a passing Palestinian vehicle. Eight bullets reportedly ripped through the vehicle, and the woman was hit in the head.
Rescue workers from Magen David Adom attempted to resuscitate the woman but she died of her wounds. Her husband was injured by shrapnel and was reported to be suffering from shock.
"When we arrived at the scene, we saw that all the windows of the car had been shattered, except for the front window," rescue volunteer Eliyahu David told ynet. "For many minutes we tried to save her, but we were unsuccessful," he said of the rescue attempts.
The attack occurred near the junction leading to the Palestinian village of Bardala, located in Area B under Israeli security control. Security forces arrived at the scene of the attack and set up roadblocks in the area, including roads leading up to Nablus, in attempts to capture the assailants.
According to media reports, Salit Sheetrit and her husband lived on Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu, north of the Jordan Valley, and she worked in Beit Shean. Two weeks ago a kindergarten teacher and her driver were shot and killed at the Adam Junction, south of where today's attack occurred.
Attack further threatens chances of Peres-Arafat meeting
This morning's shooting attack in the Jordan Valley again placed the talks tentatively scheduled for today between Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinians Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat in doubt. There were indications that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had given his approval to a meeting today between the two, based on the relative quiet in the territories over the last two days.
Aides close to Sharon were reported this morning as saying the Prime Minister insisted on a 48-hour period of absolute quiet before Peres would be allowed to meet with Arafat. "Under these circumstances it is difficult to believe that there will be a meeting today, and it may be postponed until after Yom Kippur," Army Radio quoted the aides as saying.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's spokesman, Raanan Gissin, said this morning that the Jordan Valley shooting attack reset the clock calling for 48 hours of quiet before Peres and Arafat could meet. Gissin added that Israel regards Arafat as personally responsible for the terror attack.
National Infrastructure Minister Rechavam Ze'evi (National Union) this morning expressed his disappointment that his proposal to the cabinet, which would have prohibited Palestinian traffic on the Jordan Valley highway, and which had been approved by the Prime Minister, had not been implemented. Ze'evi said that his proposal would have prevented this morning's shooting attack.
Knesset Member Benny Elon (National Union) called on Sharon to cancel Israel's unilateral cease-fire immediately.
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