On 2 May 1980, the 1980 Hebron attack occurred, where a group of yeshiva students in their early-20s were ambushed by Fatah militants as they returned from a prayer service at the Cave of the Patriarchs.
[6] On 5 June, an aide to far-right rabbi and politician Meir Kahane was detained by Israeli police for questioning over the bombings.
[7] In August 1980, American newspaper The Washington Star would publish an article claiming that Begin had attempted to obstruct the investigation into the bombings.
Rappaport had been born in Flatbush, New York City, and had previously been involved in the American civil rights movement.
[16] He was subsequently convicted for involvement in the bombings on charges of aggravated assault and belonging to a terrorist organisation, and sentenced to 30 months incarceration.
After being sentenced, Rappaport stated that imprisonment was "what's called suffering for the love of Israel" and justified the bombings as necessary for law and order, saying that they "led without a doubt to a very, very peaceful time for the next year and a half.
"[20] In response, Likud chair Avraham Sharir accused Kollek of slandering Begin and of providing aid to the PLO.
[21] National Religious Party politician and rabbi Haim Drukman expressed support for the bombings, a move that was criticised by fellow NRP MK David Glass.
[22] In 1984, Minister of Science Yuval Ne'eman described the bombings as "an illegal act," but also "an assault on individual persons who were, at the time, responsible for incitement," adding that "the fact is that after they were attacked - which, by the way, didn't cause death - we never again heard of the National Guidance Committee.
"[23] Labour Alignment MK Yossi Sarid stated that the bombings "blasted to smithereens any illusion that Israel could maintain its control of the administered territories indefinitely.
[24] Israeli forces moved to prevent the strike, ordering shops in the West Bank to remain open unde threat of imprisonment and dispersing gathering protests, including one outside the hospital where Shakaa was being treated.
"[26] On 5 June, the United Nations Security Council unanimosly passed a motion condemning the bombings as "assassination attempts" and accused Israel of failing "to provide adequate protection to the civilian population in the occupied territories.