36 Americans Murdered
by Palestinian Arabs Since ‘93

NEW YORK – Another prominent Federation-sponsored newspaper has endorsed the Koby Mandell Act, legislation that would help facilitate the capture and prosecution of Palestinian Arab killers of Americans.

In an editorial (Aug.8, 2002), the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent stated:

“In all other cases where Americans are murdered by terrorists, the U.S. government takes a justifiably aggressive attitude toward apprehension and prosecution of the killers. But when it comes to Palestinians who kill Americans in Israel, Washington has been conspicuously disinterested.

“The Zionist Organization of America fought to get the State Department to change its policy of not posting rewards for information leading to the capture of Palestinian murderers of Americans, while doing so in all other such cases of terrorism. But even after finally agreeing to do so, our government is still activing as if terrorism that takes the lives of Americans in Israel is not its business. That needs to change…

“Also important would be the congressional passage of the Koby Mandell Act, named after a 13 year-old American citizen who was cruelly beaten and stoned to death by Palestinian Arab killers in Israel last year. This act would mandate the creation of a special office within the Justice Department to pursue such criminals and have them brought to justice in American courts. Given the reluctance of the State Department to act, this measure is literally the only way to motivate our government to act against the murderers of Pennsylvanian Benjamin Blutstein and all other Ameicans cut down by Palestinian terror. We urge Congress to act on this bill as soon as possible.”

The New York Jewish Week, the largest Federation-sponsored newspaper in the United States, has also endorsed the Koby Mandell Act. In an editorial (Aug.9, 2002), the Jewish Week stated:

“While the president has vowed to pursue the terrorists and the nations that give them safe haven, the fact is that the State Department has not demanded that the [Palestinian Arab] killers [of Americans], many of whom are known and operate openly in the Palestinian Authority, to the U.S. to face trial here. The Zionist Organization of America has pressed this point for years, to no avail.

“As a result of governmental inaction, Congress is considering passage of the Koby Mandell Act that would establish an office in the Justice Department to act against Palestinian killers of American citizens and provide compensation for the families of victims. Such legislation is needed to give credence to the president’s rhetoric about pursuing and punishing those who perpetrate the terror.”

The Koby Mandell Act, known as S.1377 in the Senate and H.R.2098 in the House of Representatives, has been publicly endorsed by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the ZOA, and AIPAC.

In the Senate, the lead sponsor is Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) and the co-sponsors are Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS), Rick Santorum (R-PA), and Bob Smith (R-NH). In the House of Representatives, the lead sponsors are Representatives Rob Andrews (D-NJ) and Jim Saxton (R-NJ), and the co-sponsors are Ken Bentsen (D-TX), Howard Berman (D-CA), Eric Cantor (R-VA), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Barney Frank (D-MA), Joseph Hoeffel (D-PA), Steven Israel (D-NY), Steven LaTourette (R-OH), Frank LoBiando (R-NJ), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Michael McNulty (D-NY), Connie Morella (R-MD), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Mike Pence (R-IN), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Steven Rothman (D-NJ), Edward Schrock (R-VA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Mark Souder (R-IN), Patrick Toomey (R-PA), Henry Waxman (D-CA), and Anthony Weiner (D-NY).

* 36 American citizens have been murdered by Palestinian Arab terrorists since the signing of the Oslo accords in 1993, 24 of them since the Palestinian Authority launched the current wave of violence against Israel in September 2000. In addition, 68 Americans have been wounded since 1993, 43 of them since September 2000.

* A total of at least 103 Americans have been murdered by Palestinian Arab terrorists, and 119 wounded, since 1968.