The West blamed the attack on "militants" who were looking for an opportunity to sabotage the resumption of peace talks. For Israelis, the attack was another indication that peace with the Palestinians is an impossible reality.
In the latest terrorist attack, a car with four people inside came under fire in the West Bank by Palestinian snipers from Hamas. When it was all over, all four people were massacred with gun shot wounds spearing their internal organs. The four occupants in the vehicle were Yitzhak Ames, 47, and his wife Tali Ames, 45, Kochava Ben- Haim, 37, and Avishai Schindler, 24. The husband and wife had picked up two hitchhikers. While en route to their destination, the Palestinian terrorists fired on the vehicle from afar and then approached the occupants and fired on them at close range.
When paramedics arrived on the scene, all of the victims bodies were strewn on the street.
In an anguishing turn of events, completely unaware of what he was about to discover, Momy Ben-Haim one of the paramedics who was called to the scene of the terrorist attack was shocked to observe his wife Kochava's body strewn on the ground. Kochava happened to be one of the doomed hitchhikers who was picked up for a ride by Mr. and Mrs. Ames.
When observing his dead wife lying motionless on the ground, Ben-Haim screamed and shouted "That’s my wife! That’s my wife!" He was taken away from the scene immediately to his home.
Terrorist attacks in Israel are not just attacks on the victims. They are an attack on the entire nation.
If the Palestinians ever have any shot of convincing Israelis that they are committed to peace, they will have to rein in on the terror that killed these four occupants and wrecked the life of an innocent paramedic who had no way of knowing that his life would be changed forever in a matter of minutes as he embarked on the scene of unfortunately a routine terrorist attack.
