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| Middle East | |
| Suicide bomber strikes Israeli coastal town | |
| 2003-03-30 | |
| An Islamic militant blew himself up in a crowded pedestrian mall in the Israeli coastal town of Netanya on Sunday, wounding 30 bystanders in the first such attack in nearly a month. The Palestinian group Islamic Jihad said it dispatched the attacker, identifying him as a resident of the West Bank city of Nablus. His motive was not immediately known. My guess would be that he wanted to kill a lot of people. That's only a guess, mind you... (Where do they get these people?) Israeli officials said that since the start of the U.S.-led offensive against Iraq 10 days ago, they have been on high alert for new bombings by Palestinian militants presumably eager to express support for Iraq. However, Islamic Jihad and its sister group Hamas have said they want to stay out of other conflicts and focus on their confrontation with Israel. The two groups did not mention Iraq in their initial responses to Sunday's bombing. Of course not. They're trying to draw attention to themselves... The bomber set off explosives studded with nails shortly before 1 p.m. near Cafe London, a popular outdoor restaurant along Netanya's crowded pedestrian mall. A security guard kept the bomber from entering the cafe, and the man instead blew himself up near a group of soldiers standing outside. "There was a huge explosion," said a worker at a nearby fish restaurant, who would only give his first name, Herzl. "I saw two soldiers thrown to the ground and the terrorist ripped to pieces at the entrance." The attacker died and at least six of the wounded were in serious condition, hospital officials said. In a telephone call to The Associated Press, Islamic Jihad said the assailant was from Nablus' Old City, or casbah, but would not give his name. Trying to figure which one was genuine, no doubt.
Frank G. posts the CNN version. Comments are Frank's... IJ claims it is a "gift to the Iraqi people" - "for us? how nice....thank you very much" A suicide bomber detonated an explosion that left at least 49 people injured — five seriously — at a busy cafe Sunday afternoon in the coastal town of Netanya in northern Israel, according to Israeli police and ambulance services. The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for Sunday's terror attack in Netanya in a phone call to The Associated Press. The Palestinian Authority moved quickly to condemn the bombing and urged the so-called "Mideast Quartet" to revive its efforts to create a "road map" to peace in the Middle East. Israel's last suicide bombing happened in the northern port city of Haifa on March 5, when a suicide bomber set off a powerful explosion that destroyed a suburban bus, killing 17 people and injuring at least 40 others. Witnesses told CNN's Jerrold Kessel a security guard or Israeli soldier stopped the suicide bomber from entering the cafe. He detonated his explosive outside the eatery, Israeli media reported. The attack occurred before 1 p.m. at the London Cafe in downtown Netanya's Independence Square. Many of the injured were sitting outside the eatery, enjoining a spring-like day. The bomber's body was found outside the cafe, witnesses said. Israel has been on a heightened state of alert since "Operation Iraqi Freedom" was launched 11 days ago. "This is another attempt to paralyze the Israeli society and to cause death," said Israeli Police Minister Tsahi Hanegbi. "We knew in advance that there will be an attempt to take advantage of the war in Iraq in order to cause casualties in the country. Fortunately, we don't have many casualties today. But we're still expecting more problematic events during the time of the conflict in Iraq." Netanya has been the target of a number of suicide bombings and attacks in the past. One of the worst, known as the Passover suicide blast, happened on March 27, 2002. In that incident, a suicide bomber walked into the seaside Park Hotel and made his way toward a dining room, where police say 227 people were having their Seder meal. Before it was over, 29 of the bomber's victims died and more than 150 were injured. On March 30, Land Day is observed in the Middle East. Land Day protests by Israeli Arabs have become an annual event to mark what they claim were Israeli land seizures after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Recall that just yesterday Israel sid it was willing to resume peace talks...figures | |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #2 But I thought it was the Israelis who were supposed to be exploiting the distraction of the Iraq war to pursue their policy of ethnic cleansing... |
| Posted by: J. Michael Krause 2003-03-30 16:59:49 |
| #1 Doh! excellent minds think alike, huh Fred? please delete my post of same |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-03-30 09:24:52 |