Tel Aviv Market Attack (2016)
The Tel Aviv Market Attack, which occurred on June 8, 2016, involved two armed Palestinian cousins who opened fire at the Max Brenner Café in Sarona Market, resulting in the deaths of four individuals and injuries to at least seven others. The attackers, identified as Muhammad and Khalid al-Muhamra from the West Bank, were arrested shortly after the incident, one after a confrontation with security, and the other in a home where he had sought refuge. The assault was reportedly inspired by the militant group ISIS, although it was not directly coordinated with the organization. In the wake of the attack, the Israeli government revoked entry permits for Palestinians, raising concerns over collective punishment. The event highlighted ongoing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, which have been exacerbated by cycles of violence since the establishment of Israel. Responses to the attack included statements from various officials, and the incident was part of a broader context of increasing violence in the region, affecting the dynamics of Israeli-Palestinian relations.
Subject Terms
Tel Aviv Market Attack (2016)
Date: June 8, 2016
Place: Tel Aviv, Israel
Summary
The Tel Aviv market attack was a terrorist incident in which two armed Palestinians attacked a café in Tel Aviv, Israel, killing four people and injuring at least seven others before both perpetrators were captured by police.
Key Events
- June 8, 2016—Two armed Palestinian terrorists open fire on customers at Sarona Market in Tel Aviv.
- June 9, 2016—Israeli government revokes entry permits allowing Palestinians to visit Israel.
- July 4, 2016—Israeli investigation finds that incident was inspired by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Status
As of November 2016, there had been no further terrorist incidents in Israel connected to ISIS. Israel continued to maintain an intensified military presence in Palestinian communities in the West Bank, leading to increased tension along the border. On July 31, Israeli soldiers killed a seventeen-year-old Palestinian when he and his friends were throwing stones at the security fence on the Gaza border. While Tel Aviv has experienced a fraction of the violence seen in Jerusalem, terrorist incidents in the city have increased.
In-Depth Overview
Conflict between Israelis and Palestinians stem from the establishment of the State of Israel following World War II and subsequent push for the establishment of a Palestinian state encompassing part of the territory now controlled by Israel, primarily the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israel has been in control of the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the 1967 war with Jordan, though the Palestinians want the West Bank as part of their proposed state. Israel secures its border along the Gaza Strip with a 300-meter security zone and fence, which is patrolled by the Israeli military. Israeli-Palestinian relations have been through numerous cycles of open conflict and relative calm. The most recent outburst of violence occurred with the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, which resulted in the death of some 73 Israelis and an estimated 2,100 Palestinians. Palestinian terrorist attacks have intensified since the end of this conflict. In 2015 and 2016, there were dozens of clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian militants, together resulting in the death of more than 32 Israelis and more than 200 Palestinians.
On June 8, 2016, at around 9:30 p.m. local time, two twenty-one-year-old Palestinian cousins entered Max Brenner Café in Tel Aviv’s Sarona Market, wearing suits and ties and posing as customers. A short time later, the two men opened fire on the café’s customers, killing four individuals and wounding at least seven others before one of the perpetrator’s weapons reportedly stopped working and both men fled the scene. One of the men engaged in a firefight with a security guard and was wounded and taken into custody near the scene. The Times of Israel reported that the second suspect encountered an off-duty police officer in plain clothes on the street and, unaware that the man was a police officer, asked him for a glass of water. The off-duty officer invited the man into his home, gave him water, and left him with his wife and children as he left to go to the scene of the attack at Sarona Market. After seeing the second attacker’s outfit, a suit and tie, he realized that the man he had left in his home was also an assailant and the officer returned home and arrested the second man after a brief struggle.
The shooters were later identified as Muhammad and Khalid al-Muhamra (sometimes spelled Mahmara), cousins from the West Bank town of Yatta. Neither man had a criminal record, and press investigations found that Khalid al-Muhamra was an engineering student at a university in Jordan. Later reports indicated that both men were nephews of Taleb Mahmara, a man imprisoned for a 2002 terrorist attack. Two other Yatta residents were arrested after the incident for helping the cousins obtain weapons and helping them to sneak past security into Israel.
Later investigations of the suspects’ homes and interrogation of family members and friends indicated that Muhammad al-Muhamra had an interest in the Syrian militant group ISIS, and Israeli authorities believed the attack was inspired (though not planned or coordinated) by ISIS. Hamas, the militant Palestinian organization that controls the Gaza Strip, released a statement praising the actions of the attackers and claiming that both men belonged to the organization, though officials were unable to confirm the statement.
In response to the attack, the Israeli government suspended 83,000 permits allowing Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip to visit Israel to see family over the Islamic holiday of Ramadan. In addition, 204 work permits given to members of the extended family of the perpetrators were suspended. While UN Chief Ban Ki-moon issued a statement in support of Israel, UN high commissioner for human rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein argued that Israel’s decision to restrict all Palestinian visitation during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan may qualify as "collective punishment," a tactic that violates the Geneva Conventions.
Key Figures
Khalid al-Muhamra: Engineering student who attacked café customers at the Sarona Market in Tel Aviv.
Muhammad al-Muhamra: One of two cousins who attacked visitors to Sarona Market in Tel Aviv.
Avigdor Lieberman: Defense minister of Israel.
Benjamin Netanyahu: Prime minister of Israel.
Bibliography
Beaumont, P. (2016, June 8). Four dead in Tel Aviv market shooting. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/08/tel-aviv-market-shooting-sarona-complex
Cohen, G., & Ravid, B. (2016, June 9). Following Tel Aviv attack, Israel suspends all permits given to Palestinians for Ramadan. Haaretz. Retrieved from http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.724027
Cop invited Tel Aviv shooter into his home before realizing who he was. (2016, June 9). Times of Israel. Retrieved from http://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog‗entry/cop-invited-tel-aviv-shooter-into-his-home-before-realizing-who-he-was/
Ellis, R., & Black, P. (2016, June 8). 4 killed in Tel Aviv terror attack; 2 arrested at "soft target." CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/08/middleeast/israel-tel-aviv-shooting/
Harel, A. (2016, July 5). First signs emerge of ISIS-inspired lone-wolf terrorism in Israel. Haaretz. Retrieved from http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.728938
Israel retaliates for Palestinians’ attack in Tel Aviv. (2016, June 9). CBS News. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/harsh-retaliatory-move-by-israel-after-tel-aviv-terror-attack/
Levi, E., & Blumental, L. (2016, June 9). Terrorists known to Palestinian authorities, uncle in Israeli jail. YNet News. Retrieved from http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4814114,00.html
Nebehay, S. (2016, June 10). UN says Israeli move on Palestinian permits may be collective punishment. Reuters. Retrieved from http://in.reuters.com/article/israel-palestinians-shooting-un-idINKCN0YW0Y7
Noy, B. (2016, June 9). Sarona Market terrorists: 21-year-old Hamas members from Yatta. JerusalemOnline. Retrieved from http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/in-israel/local/sarona-market-terrorists-21-year-old-hamas-terrorists-21599