'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

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).

	Video interview with Arnold Roth in The Hague, February 2004 (by courtesy of Access \| Middle East) Requires Windows Media Player or other compatible streaming video software. Interview- Hague Arnold Roth - Funny video clips are a click away	'Here to remind people of losses Israeli society is incurring daily'

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".

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."

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.

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."

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."

24-Feb-04

BBC News UK Edition: "Court Hears New Barrier Criticism"

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."

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.

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

24-Feb-04

Philadelphia Inquirer: "At Hague, a face-off on the Israeli barrier" Michael Matza

"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."

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."

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.

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."