In Feb.1994 , An American-born Jewish settler in Hebron , Baruch Goldstein , opened fire in a al-Haram al-Ebrahime crowded mosque, killing 29 Muslims and wounding 150 more. Additional Muslims were crushed to death in the panic to flee the mosque and in rioting that followed. The attacker used an assault rifle to shoot at more than 400 Muslims, who were in the mosque for early morning prayers during the holy month of Ramadan. The mosque itself was part of a complex of buildings sacred to both Jews and Muslims, because it was believed to contain the 4,000-year-old burial tomb of Abraham & his wife Sarah.As such, the place had long been a site for religious confrontations. News of the massacre immediately led to riots in Hebron and the rest of the occupied territories. The crime called into question the possibility of continuing the peace talks between Israel, the Palestinians, Jordan, and Syria. In late 1993 Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization had signed an agreement designed to bring peace between the two group.