Suicide Bomb Survivors Face Worlds Blown Apart

The Washington Post ^ | January 31, 2004 | Keith B. Richburg

[Piranha]

JERUSALEM -- Alona Shaportova immigrated here from Ukraine with her parents when she was 10. Soon she was speaking Hebrew, English and some Arabic, as well as Russian.

Ask Alona how old she is today and she hesitates, and begins to count out loud, "One, two, three, four" until she gets to 17. She looks to her mother for verification and gets a nod of approval.

Counting is a chore for Alona, reading is impossible, and she can manage only slowly to write her name. Two years ago, Alona and a friend were at Tel Aviv's popular seaside Dolphinarium discotheque when a Palestinian wearing explosives and copper ball bearings blew himself up outside, killing 21 people, mostly teenagers, and wounding 100 others.

Full story ...

[Piranha]

In law school in Torts class, they tell you (half jokingly) that if you drive your car over someone and injure them without killing them, you should back up and run them over again, because the pain and suffering of survivors can get judgments far in excess of those for dead victims.

Sometimes we forget the thousands of victims of Palestinian Arab suicidal terrorists. For them, their life as they knew it ends with the blast.

[goldstategop]

Many of them need lifetime care and those who have been permanently crippled can never be made whole. In a way its even more stressful for their loved ones than if they died. You don't anticipate taking care of a spouse or a child for the rest of your life. The homocide bombers do more than just murder people by the dozens, they shatter the lives of those who've survived. We're lucky in America not to have to live through such horror and I hope to God we never will.

[Piranha]

You're right. I should have said "for them and their families" above.

[Indie]

We're lucky in America not to have to live through such horror and I hope to God we never will.

We already have. Exactly four times, once for each airplane. NEVER FORGET.

[StarCMC]

homocide bombers

Thank you for calling them what they are. Somehow "Suicide bomber" evokes a sense of tragedy that makes the criminal seem helpless, like their lives are just out of control. These people CHOOSE to blow themselves up and take many more with them. They do NOT deserve our pity. The victims do. **off soapbox**

[Chewbacca]

The Isrealies should sue the parents of the Palestinians for the hospital bills incured through the actions of the Palestinian children.

[The_Media_never_lie]

What a sick, sick culture it is that supports these homicidal maniacs.

[xm177e2]

The thing is, radical Muslims hate the term "suicide bomber" because suicide is expressly forbidden by Islam. It's actually an insult to call them that. I don't think any other terms do justice to the crime: "Martyrdom operation" is obviously a sick, twisted, evil euphemism. What is a "homicide bombing?" Aren't most bombings homicidal in nature? What else can they be called?

[Piranha]

Suicidal terrorists

[StarCMC]

The thing is, radical Muslims hate the term "suicide bomber" because suicide is expressly forbidden by Islam.

I did not know that!! Thanks for the information!

[optik_b]

"We're lucky in America not to have to live through such horror and I hope to God we never will"

Did you miss 9/11?