Pro-Israel group urges Trump to demand extradition of freed terrorists who murdered Americans

Advocacy group notes terrorists slated for release under hostage deal include convicted killers responsible for the murder of 16 American citizens in Israel.

By World Israel News Staff

A pro-Israel advocacy group is calling on President Donald Trump to demand the extradition of Palestinian terrorists freed under the hostage deal who were convicted of murdering American citizens.

Americans For A Safe Israel (AFSI) noted that the killers of 16 Americans are expected to be released in the Gaza agreement.

Among the Palestinian Arab terrorists who are being released by Israel are:

• Mohammad Abu Warda, who was responsible for the February 25, 1996 bus bombing in Jerusalem, in which 26 passengers were murdered, including American citizens Sara Duker, Matthew Eisenfeld, and Ira Weinstein.
• Wael Qassem, Wassam Abbasi and Mohammed Odeh, who were responsible for the July 31, 2002 bombing at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in which nine people were killed, including U.S. citizens Marla Bennett, Benjamin Blutstein, Dina Carter, Janis Ruth Coulter, and David Gritz.
• Nassim Zaatari, who was involved in the August 19, 2003 bus bombing in Jerusalem in which 23 people were murdered, including American citizens Mordechai Reinitz, Yitzhak Reinitz, Goldie Taubenfeld, and 3 month-old Shmuel Taubenfeld.
• Ahmed Obeid, who was involved in the September 9, 2003 bombing of Cafe Hillel in Jerusalem, killing seven people, including U.S. citizens David Applebaum and his daughter Nava Applebaum.
• Abu Gaanam, who murdered three Jerusalem bus passengers, including elderly American Jewish peace activist Richard Lakin, on October 13, 2015.
• Khalil Jabarin, who murdered American citizen Ari Fuld at the Gush Etzion Junction on September 16, 2018.

Americans For A Safe Israel’s national chairman Moshe Phillips said that despite the terrorists having been prosecuted and serving time in Israel for the murders, they can still be charged and punished in the American legal system.

“U.S. law permits the prosecution, in America, of terrorists who kill Americans abroad. There is no legal obstacle of ‘double jeopardy,’ since they have never been prosecuted in the United States. President Trump should demand that the Palestinian Authority immediately surrender these killers of Americans so they will face justice here.”

“Allowing killers of Americans to walk free undermines America’s war against terror. It also sends a dangerous message to terrorists everywhere that they can freely murder Americans, knowing they will be released if their comrades take hostages in the future. Failure to bring these killers to justice thus incentivizes terrorism against Americans,” he said.