SHURAT HADIN - ISRAEL LAW CENTER

MARCH 31, 2002

PRESS RELEASE

HIGH COURT TO HEAR PETITION BY VICTIMS' FAMILIES DEMANDING THE EXTRADITION
OF FUGITVE TERRORIST FROM EUROPE

The High Court of Justice in Jerusalem will hear a petition brought by the
families of two terror victims this morning, Monday March 31, 2003 at 11:30
A.M., demanding that Palestinian terrorists who have sought refuge in
Europe be extradited to Israel. Miriam Gorov, the widow of Aharon Gorov z"
l, and Tamara Fisch, the daughter of Avraham Fisch z"l, seek to compel
Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein, to file extradition requests to the
relevant European governments and notify INTERPOL that the terrorists who
murdered their family members should be arrested and returned to Israel for
trial. The killers, part of the group of thirteen terrorists who were
permitted by Israel to leave the Church of Nativity standoff on May 10, 2002
for Cyprus, have been living openly in Europe for the past 11 months.

While Israeli law enforcement agencies have accused these fugitive members
of Fatah Tanzim of numerous murders of Israeli and American citizens, and
Jerusalem maintains extradition treaties with the countries in which they
are currently residing, the Attorney General's office has made no efforts to
seek their arrests nor extraditions for trial.

The petitioners are represented in the High Court by attorney Nitsana
Darshan-Leitner, director of Shurat HaDin - Israel Law Center.

At the time of the lifting of the IDF siege on the Church of Nativity in May
2002, where the 13 terrorists had barricaded themselves during Operation
Defensive Shield, the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that no deal had
been struck concerning the terrorists' future extradition for murder.

On February 25, 2002, Aharon Gorov, Avraham Fisch, Tamar Fisch and their
young daughter were traveling in a car near the town of Tekoa. Fatah Tanzim
terrorists Ibrahim Moussa Salem Abayat and Annan Tanjeh ambushed the
vehicle, spraying it with automatic weapon fire. Aharon Gorov and Avraham
Fisch were instantly killed in the shooting attack. Tamar Fisch, five
months pregnant, was seriously injured and rushed to the hospital, where
doctors performed an emergency delivery of a baby girl.

The petitioners are demanding that the Attorney General show cause why he
has not requested the arrests and extraditions of the released terrorists
Ibrahim Abayat, Annan Tanjeh and Abdullah Khader, who as Head of the
Palestinian General Intelligence apparatus in Bethlehem, had organized
numerous shooting attacks against Israeli civilians in the Gush Etzion area.
The law suit also requests that the government immediately notify INTERPOL,
the international law enforcement agency, that the thirteen terrorists are
all wanted for murder in Israel and that all European nations have treaty
obligations with Jerusalem requiring them to arrest the Palestinian
fugitives.

In its response, the Attorney General's office has argued that an emergency
situation over the Church standoff necessitated the release of the
terrorists and their safe-passage to Europe. It did not explain why no
efforts are being made to extradite the terrorists today.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: nitsanad@zahav.net.il (972)-8-973-3336