Suicide Bomber Destroys Israeli Club Blast Kills at Least 15, Wounds About 60 By JASON KEYSER .c The Associated Press RISHON LETZION, Israel (May 7) - A suicide bomber set off nailed-studded explosives at an Israeli pool hall late Tuesday, killing at least 15 people and wounding about 60, police said. It happened as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was meeting with President Bush to discuss peace talks with the Palestinians. The attack in this city 10 miles south of Tel Aviv prompted Sharon to cancel a meeting with congressional leaders in Washington and to fly home early, an Israeli official said. The blast came at 11:03 p.m. (4:03 p.m. EDT) in a three-story building in the heart of the industrial section of Rishon Letzion. Haim Cohen, a police commander in the city of 100,000, said the bomber walked right into the pool hall. ''He entered all of a sudden into the hall and then he exploded.'' This latest in a wave of suicide bombings was the first since April 12 when a bomber blew herself up at a bus stop in Jerusalem, killing six people while Secretary of State Colin Powell was in the region trying to end the violence. Neither Sharon nor Bush knew about the attack during their meeting, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said. After they were briefed, Bush offered Sharon condolences and registered ''his disgust with this wanton waste of life,'' she said. The attack came as efforts were being made to wrap up a deal to end the 36-day-old standoff at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. It would involve deporting some of the militants in the church, but many Palestinians strongly oppose deportation. Al Manar TV in Lebanon said it received a claim of responsibility for the bombing from the Islamic militant group Hamas. But a Hamas spokesman, Mahmoud Zahar, told The Associated Press he could not confirm it. ''If it is a martyrdom operation, it means that Israel has lost its war against the Palestinians and the Palestinian resistance has proved that it is capable of reaching the enemy everywhere,'' he said. Since Israeli-Palestinian violence erupted in September 2000, there have been nearly 60 suicide bombings. An attack on March 27 that killed 28 people set off Israel's large-scale military operation in the West Bank two days later, aimed at uprooting what Israel called ''terrorist infrastructure.'' In a strong statement with a rare choice of words, Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority called suicide bombings ''terrorist crimes.'' It said it would ''take firm and strict measures against those who are involved in this operation and will not be light-handed in punishing those who have caused great harm to our cause.'' Public opinion polls have shown that many Palestinians believe suicide bombings are a legitimate weapon. David Baker, an official at Sharon's office, blamed the Palestinian Authority. Speaking to The Associated Press, he said ''it is clear that the Palestinian Authority has not given up its terror actions and has not given up its murderous path.'' Outside the pool hall, young women and men cried as they looked up at the bombed-out building. Emergency workers tried to help many to ambulances as police investigators scoured the area for evidence. Part of the ceiling on the top floor collapsed. A sign read ''Sheffield Club, snooker, cafeteria.'' A shop called Baby World occupied the ground floor. Israel's Channel 2 TV said no security guard was posted outside the hall, despite new rules ordering places of entertainment to provide security. Meir Nitzan, the mayor of Rishon Letzion, said more than 60 people had been taken to hospitals, some in critical condition. Yeruham Mandola, a spokesman with the Israeli ambulance service Magen David Adom, said part of the three-story building had caved in. ''Some of the wounded are trapped in the building,'' he said. An Israeli woman identified on Israel Radio as Hanit Azulai said she headed home when she heard ''a huge explosion.'' '' I turned the corner and I saw the whole building go up before my eyes.'' Amit Elor, an off-duty soldier was just outside when the blast occurred, ''All of a sudden we heard this loud blast with noises. I went in to help. It's simply shocking what is going on here.'' It was not clear how the bombing would affect Israel's plans to withdraw from Bethlehem, the only Palestinian city where it still has a large military presence. Israeli, Palestinian and international negotiators had discussed exiling 13 suspected militants in the church to Italy, but the deal was delayed Tuesday when officials in Rome said they hadn't received an official request. A U.S. diplomat acknowledged the Italians had largely been kept in the dark. All day, negotiators went back-and-forth over the deal to the 13 and transfer 26 others to Gaza, possibly under U.S. and British auspices. One of the top wanted men inside the church, Abdullah Daoud, said he and the other 12 agreed to exile in Italy. Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said the agreement was sealed and he had ordered troops to prepare to withdraw from Bethlehem. Bush has been pushing for Israel to withdraw from all the Palestinian-run areas it has occupied since March 29. Sharon wants to sideline Palestinian leader Arafat but the Bush administration believes Sharon should accept Arafat as the leader of the Palestinians. Arafat came under sharp criticism at home for agreeing to the deportations - considered by many Palestinians to be the bitterest of punishments. A leader of Arafat's Fatah movement in the West Bank, Hussein al-Sheik, said approving exile set a dangerous precedent. The leader of Hamas, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, called one of his followers inside the church, Aziz Abayat, and pressured him to reject the deal. ''Sheik Yassin told us that ... anyone who accepts exile does not represent the movement's position,'' Abayat said. The standoff in Bethlehem began April 2, when more than 200 people fleeing Israeli forces ran into the Church of the Nativity. About 75 have since emerged from the basilica. Those remaining inside include the 39 gunmen, as well as civilians, clerics, policemen and 10 foreign supporters who slipped past Israeli guards last week. ----------------------------------------- This is what happens when you cut short anti-terror campaigns. Is it just a coincidence that a few days after Arafat can move freely, there is a suicide bombing? He calls it a terrorist act but I dont expect that he will do anything. Lets just see who claims responsibility.
The timing of this was in relation to Sharon's trip to the US, not in relation to Arafat's release. Even if Sharon's campaign lasted for another month, more suicide attacks were to be expected. Mango
The suicide bombers aren't going to stop anytime soon. For them, they are at war and this is their method of fighting. It's stupid and it sucks, but it's reality. War is hell.
With so many new threads in the Hangout Forum, I depend on the thread title to catch my eye and invite me to read the thread. Keeley's thread title was not an eye grabber. Mango
I think you don't really start that many threads. I promise I'll go on a posting spree in the next one you start .
Energy Protests & Destabilization in the Muslim world from US - Afghansitan Action In favor of remote controllers taking over "distressed" aircraft? Colombia-Mexico What is the mood in Austin? How bad will the California energy crisis get? How will the Sharon government change the Middle East? (this one was posted 2/8/01, maybe we should bring this one back to the forefront) Mango, these are your Hangout threads that didn't "catch very many eyes". You did have about 5 threads that got lots of attention. This is going back to Jan. 2001
Geez.. I guess I was outraged so much by the bombing I missed the Yet Again.. thread. About a month ago I was ripped up by Old School because I didn't title a thread about a proposed California tax on sodas to prevent obesity in kids. Oh well.. post in the Yet Again.. thread.
