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Arafatâs thugs boom bus in Jerusalem - 7 dead
JPost - Reg Reqâd - defies snarky comments - KILL.THEM.ALLAt least seven people were killed and 62 people were wounded in a suicide bombing on a bus Sunday in the German Colony neighborhood in Jerusalem. Six men and one woman were killed in the deadly attack. Five were identified, but only three names were released so far. Lior Azulay, 18, a high-school student from Jerusalemâs Gimnasya Rehavia, will be laid to rest at 4:30 p.m. at the Givat Shaul cemetery in Jerusalem; Bnayahu Yehonatan Zukerman, 18, also a high-school student, will be burried at 5:00 p.m. at Har Tamir, Jerusalem; St. Sgt. Netanel Habshush, 20, from Jerusalem, will be laid to rest at 8:15 p.m. at the Mt. Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem. Also killed - Yuval Uzana, 29, who will be burried at 8 PM in Givat Shaul, and Yonatan Beayahu-Zukerman, who will be buried at 5:30 Sunday afternoon. Ten of the wounded were reported to be in serious or critical condition. The explosion took place while the bus was standing at a street light outside the Liberty Bell Park, near the Sonol gas station near Emek Refaim. According to the initial police investigation, the bomber boarded the bus in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem while carrying a bag containing five kilograms of explosives. Al-Aksa Brigades claimed responsibility for the Jerusalem sucide bombing on Sunday, which took place one day before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague is scheduled to begin hearings over the West Bank security fence, Army Radio reported. Al-Manar TV in Lebanon identifed the bomber as Muhammad Zaal, from the Bethlehem area, a member of the al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz scheduled a meeting Sunday night to discuss Israelâs reaction to the deadly attack. Prime Minister Sharon maintained a stone-faced silence at the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday morning, not reacting to the attack. Jerusalem Police Chief Miki Levy said that the blast, which occurred at around 8:30 a.m., took place in the middle of bus No. 14A, which runs from Har Homa through the center of town to Beit HaKerem. Levy said that there were no specific warnings for this attack. It is the second time that the bus line has been a target of terror attacks. The blown-up bus was removed from the scene and the surrounding streets have reopened. A Ministry of Education official said that 11 students were wounded in the attack. Psychologists and social workers arrived at schools around Jerusalem to speak with the students and provide support for the teaching staff. Yoram Levy, a teacher at the Gymnasia High School in Rehavia, said that one of their students was killed in the attack and that an additional 12 students were injured. Hours after the attack IDF forces imposed a blockade around Bethlehem. Officials noted that the intensive IDF activity in the West Bank had succeeded in thwarting attacks but there is no such thing as hermetically sealing the area to attackers. Describing the recent weeks as "imaginary calm", officials noted that all the terrorist organizations continue to work around the clock in an attempt to launch attacks in Israel. Shin Bet officials said that there were 52 terror warnings on Sunday. However, there was no specific warning regarding a terror attack in Jerusalem. Channel One Arab Affairs correspondent Oded Granot reported that internal Palestinian dialogue over the past few days between the PA, Hamas and Islamic Jihad indicates that the PA had asked the terror groups not to carry out attacks during the Hague fence trial. Initial reports indicated that an organic phosphoric agent was part of the explosives detonated in the attack. Later police said that the chemical element was apparently from spray cans carried by passengers aboard the bus. "These are difficult days, and we are making huge efforts to stop terror attacks," Police Chief Levy said. "However, you cannot put a security guard on every bus at every given moment. It is impossible to prevent all attempts to carry out terror attacks." A spokesman for Egged said that a security guard was on the bus but disembarked meters before the blast took place. He added that the guard was under interrogation. The Egged bus driver was lightly wounded in the attack. Referring to the hearing at The Hague on Monday, Levy said that the attack is somewhat connected to the hearing. "The fence is very important for securing the lives of Israelâs citizens," he added. The wounded were evacuated to Hadassah Hospital in Ein Karem, Hadassah Hospital at Mt Scopus, Bikur Holim and to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center. Professor Yonatan Halevy of Shaare Zedek Hospital said that of the 17 wounded that arrived at the hospital, four or five are in serious conditions. Halevi added that one person died in the ambulance, on the way to the hospital. Two people wounded in the attack arrived at the Terem Emergency Room, 20 wounded arrived at Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital, six people at Hadassa Mount Scopus hospital and 13 wounded arrived at Bikur Holim Hospital. The explosion took place near the Liberty Bell Park which is situated not far from the Prime Ministerâs and the Presidentâs official residences. An American delegation, staying in a hotel near the park, also arrived on the scene. "The closeness reminds (us) that everyone can be a victim of terror and nobody is immune," said Malcolm Hoenlein, an official with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski, visiting the wounded at Shaare Zedek Hospital said that the attack proves the need to complete the Jerusalem envelope fence. "Things are really upside down when in The Hague they are asking whether or not we have the right to build the fence," Lupolianski said. "A state must protect its citizens and this shows that we must complete the Jerusalem envelope." Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei and Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat condemned the attack and urged "the United States to step up its efforts to revive the peace process."
Posted by: Frank G 2004-02-22 |
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