Over the past two weeks, two terrorists who had prepared to
carry out suicide attacks were arrested by the Israel
security apparatus after having reconsidered their original
intention due to concern that that their families' houses
would be demolished as a result.
Jilal Khalil Jarar, a 17 year old resident of the village of
Yamoun near Jenin, was arrested in early July 2002. Jilal
admitted during questioning that about six months ago he had
approached his friend, an Islamic Jihad operative, and
presented himself as a candidate suicide bomber. Jilal's
friend told him that he would later contact him to carry out
a suicide mission. About a week after the car bomb attack at
the Meggido Junction on June 5, 2002 (in which 17 Israeli
civilians were killed and 42 wounded) an Islamic Jihad
operative contacted Jilal and offered him a chance to carry
out a car bombing. Jilal refused the offer, stating that he
was concerned for his parents and feared that their house
would be demolished if he would carry out a suicide
attack.
Oumiyeh Muhammed Damaj a 24 year-old female resident of the
Jenin refugee camp, surrendered herself to an Israeli unit on
July 27th. She told them that she had been strongly
influenced by the suicide attack carried out by a woman from
Bethlehem (the 29 March 2002 suicide bombing of supermarket
in Jerusalem's Kiryat Yoval neighborhood in which two Israeli
civilians were killed and 22 wounded) and as a result
approached a senior Islamic Jihad operative and offered
herself as a candidate to carry out a suicide attack.
Prior to Operation Defensive Shield, Oumiyeh prepared a
personal letter to her family in which she announced her
intention to carry out a suicide attack. A few days later she
was photographed reading out her will while holding a rifle
and a Koran. About two weeks later, she was contacted by the
Islamic Jihad operative, stating that he had prepared a bomb
which she could conceal as if she were holding a baby. This
attack was later aborted.
About a week before Oumiyeh surrendered herself to Israeli
authorities, she held a conversation with Islamic Jihad
operatives regarding another attack which she wished to carry
out. During the course of her conversation a friend of
Oumiyeh was present in the room. The friend later reported to
Israeli police about the conversation, and Oumiyeh's
intention to carry at an suicide attack. When Oumiyeh
subsequently surrendered herself to Israeli security forces
she told them that she had done so because she was concerned
they would demolish her family home if she indeed carried out
a suicide attack.
