'Victims Put Terrorism on Trial'
The February 2004 hearings at the International Court of Justice in The
Hague ostensibly dealt with the legality of Israel's security fence.
But for many observers, this was yet another veiled debate on
the legitimacy of the Jewish state
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 February 2004: Members of
an ad-hoc group called "Israeli Families for Peace" - all of them Israelis who have
experienced at first hand the murder of a loved one by the forces of
Palestinian Arab terror - were present in The
Hague during the week of the hearings on the Israeli security fence.
Arnold Roth was a member of the delegation and acted as its spokesperson
at the press conference announcing their participation.
(For an essay on his personal observations, see "A
Small Town in Holland"; off-line version is here). |
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Video
interview
with Arnold Roth in The Hague, February 2004 (by courtesy of
Access | Middle East)
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'Here to remind people of losses Israeli society is incurring daily'
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24-Feb-04
Al-Jazeera:
Arguments
Rage Outside Court By Arthur Neslen in The Hague / Tuesday 24
February 2004, 18:50 Makka Time, 15:50 GMT |
In an emotional
protest, Arnold Roth was one of those who had travelled from Jerusalem
to tell journalists about his 15-year-old daughter, Malka. She was
killed in a bomb attack on a Jerusalem bus in August 2001. "People
who don't understand the terror won't understand the responses," he
said. "If there is a fence, there is another step to keeping the
terrorists away from my family". |
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22-Feb-04
CNN
Sunday Morning: Interview
with Arnold Roth at Israel's security fence near the Bethlehem crossover |
"She
wasn't caught in any crossfire. She wasn't a bystander. She was the
target. People outside of this country have to understand that, that
whatever we do to protect our lives has got to be seen as being our
prerogative and perfectly legitimate." |
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23-Feb-04
Jerusalem
Post (Tovah Lazaroff) "There's
nothing else I can do for her" |
"Do I feel badly about the destruction the fence is
causing?" [Roth] said, "I do. Do not compare the murder of my
daughter with the inability of a Palestinian to get to work by 9
a.m.," he said.
He believes that the fence is a necessary deterrent that saves lives. "It's extraordinary the extent to which the Israeli
government is trying to accommodate the Palestinians," Roth said.
The government is aware of the problems it causes and is working to fix
them. |
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24-Feb-04
AFP
Syndicated Article: Israelis put "terror in dock" at mock trial while UN court
weighs barrier |
Among those giving "testimony" was Arnold Roth,
whose 15-year-old daughter Malka was killed in an attack at a Jerusalem
pizza parlour in 2001. "I did not come to The Hague to be lectured
by the representatives of people who send murderers into
restaurants," said Roth. "The fact that
these death cult murderers are able to carry out their disgraceful,
disgusting acts is what brings us all here." |
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24-Feb-04
ABC
Australia: The AM Program "Israeli
Wall Case Begins in The Hague" (Mark Willacy) |
"I
don't know if the barrier is going to save lives but I think that we're
obliged to do every possible thing we can in order to preserve the lives
of our children of our families and of the society that we're building." |
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24-Feb-04
BBC
News UK Edition: "Court Hears New Barrier Criticism"
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Arnold Roth, whose 15-year-old daughter,
Malka, was killed in an attack on a Jerusalem pizza restaurant in 2001,
said: "The fact that these death cult murderers are able to carry
out their disgraceful, disgusting acts is what brings us all here." |
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28-Feb-04
CBS
News: "Israel
Seizes Palestinian Cash" |
Israel says the barrier is needed to keep
out suicide bombers. "I want to see everything that can possibly be
done to make it harder and as much as possible, impossible, for these
people to bring their evil into our midst," said Arnold Roth, whose
teenage daughter was killed two years ago in a pizzeria bombing. |
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24-Feb-04
Philadelphia
Inquirer: "At
Hague, a face-off on the Israeli barrier" Michael Matza
Syndicated
in Wilkes Barre Weekender, Grand Forks Herald,
Contra Costa Times, Bradenton Herald, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer,
Miami Herald, San Jose Mercury News, Kansas City Star, Akron Beacon
Journal, Biloxi Sun Herald
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"To turn the
fence into a mock trial of Israel is deeply offensive to me,"
[Roth] said, holding his daughter's portrait. "I don't say the
fence will protect us perfectly. But it's one of many things we must do
to look after our families." |
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25-Feb-04
Channel
NewsAsia (Singapore)
"Israel
defiant as Jordan slams West Bank barrier at world court hearing" |
"I did not
come to The Hague to be lectured by the representatives of people who
send murderers into restaurants," said Roth. "The fact that
these death cult murderers are able to carry out their disgraceful,
disgusting acts is what brings us all here." |
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25-Feb-04
Haaretz
Daily: "Hague
court to hear more arguments from 7 nations" |
Arnold Roth, who
lost his daughter, Malka, in the attack on the Sbarro restaurant in
Jerusalem, said the terror victims were in The Hague to express support
for the fence that was likely to prevent further terror attacks. |
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23-Feb-04
New
York Times: "Hague
Hearing on West Bank Barrier: A Contest of Bitter Voices" |
Arnold Roth, 52,
said he came to remind the world that his teenage daughter, Malka, was
killed in a suicide bombing in downtown Jerusalem in 2001. He said he
was not a political person by nature but the barrier should not be the
court's concern. "As the father of a 15-year-old child who was
murdered in cold blood by truly evil people," Mr. Roth said,
"I'm not sure anyone can tell me and my society how best to protect
our children." |
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