Blast on Haifa bus after two suicide bombers set off blasts in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM, Dec 02, 2001 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- A bomb exploded in a bus in the northern Israeli city of Haifa Sunday, killing at least 10 people, hours after two Palestinian suicide bombers blew themselves up in downtown Jerusalem, in an unprecedented wave of terror strikes.
Israeli officials blamed Yasser Arafat, with one Cabinet minister saying he should be expelled from the region.
Police said 10 people were killed and about 40 wounded in the bus blast. Reports that two buses were hit by bombs proved to be unfounded. Witnesses said a second bus was damaged by the bomb on the first one.
Avi Zohar, a spokesman for the rescue services, said 15 people were critically wounded.
Haim Erovsky, a witness, told Israel Radio that the stricken bus was "totally burned out, charred."
Also Sunday, two Palestinians opened fire on Israeli cars early Sunday, killing one person and wounding five others before soldiers shot them dead.
Israeli officials said they were tired of waiting for Arafat, the Palestinian leader, to crack down on militants.
"Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority do not do anything about the fight against terrorism, and it's obvious that we will have to take this fight into our own hands," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said.
On Sunday morning, angry Israelis gathered at the scene, chanting "Death to the Arabs" and calling on their government to move against Arafat.
Infrastructure Minister Avigdor Lieberman called for expelling Arafat, bringing down his Palestinian Authority and sending Israeli troops into Palestinian-controlled territory.
The victims in Saturday's bomb attack ranged in age from 14 to 20, said police, who released their names Sunday. More than 150 people were wounded, some critically, doctors said.
The bombs went off around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, an hour when the Ben Yehuda mall is usually crowded with young people strolling and sitting at sidewalk cafes. The two bombers were standing about 30 yards from each other, police said.
Witness Eli Shetreet said he saw bodies being hurled in the air. "A lot of people were crying, falling, and there was the smell of burning hair," said Shetreet, 19.
The blasts were so powerful that they shattered the windows of cars parked a block away. Blood was splattered across store fronts, and bits of flesh and metal bolts from the explosives were strewn on the ground.
Shortly after the suicide bombings, an explosion went off in a car parked near the mall, said Police Chief Mickey Levy. There were no reports of injuries, but pedestrians ran up the street in a panic.
The Ben Yehuda mall has been the target of suicide attacks in the past, including one in 1997. Just up the block, on the corner of King George and Jaffa streets, a suicide bomber blew himself up last summer in a crowded pizzeria, killing himself and 15 diners.
Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said it was "one of the worst (attacks) we have ever seen."
Palestinian security officials said the two bombers came from Abu Dis, a village near Jerusalem. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said one was close to the militant Hamas, and the other recently resigned from a Palestinian security service. Army Radio said neighbors saw the two working on a car, possibly the vehicle that exploded in Jerusalem.
The Palestinian officials said Israeli security arrested nine relatives of the two in Abu Dis early Sunday. The Israeli government had no comment.
In a statement, the Palestinian Authority condemned the terror attacks, expressing its "deep anger ... and pain" and accusing those behind it of trying to derail a U.S. peace initiative. The Palestinian Authority has said that in recent days it has arrested several militants.
U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni said in a statement that he had spoken to Arafat and "made absolutely clear that those responsible for planning and carrying out these attacks must be found and brought to justice. This is an urgent task and there can be no delay nor excuses for not acting decisively."
Zinni, a retired U.S. Marine Corps general, arrived last week, hoping to secure a cease-fire. He has said he would stay in the region as long as it takes.
Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said that "finger pointing and assigning blame is wrong. We're telling the Israeli government to come back to the negotiating table. As long as we live next to each other we need to make peace with each other."
On Sunday morning in the Gaza Strip, armed Palestinians opened fire on vehicles, killing one Israeli and wounding five others, the military and rescue services said. The military said two Palestinian attackers were killed.
The Hamas militant group claimed responsibility.
An Israeli official traveling with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in New York, speaking on condition on anonymity, said Sharon was cutting short his planned five-day visit to the United States. Sharon's meeting with President Bush, which had been planned for Monday, was being rescheduled for Sunday at noon, and the premier would return to Israel immediately after that, the official said.
Bush had called Sharon to express his condolences, the official said.
Sharon had discussed a possible Israeli response to Saturday's attacks with defense officials in Israel, the official said.
In recent days Israeli forces surrounded Nablus and Jenin, two of the main Palestinian towns in the West Bank, in an effort to prevent more attacks.
Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, did not claim responsibility for the bombing on behalf of the group, but said Hamas would continue carrying out such attacks.
"We are fighting Jewish terrorism, we are fighting the killers and defending our freedom, our stability and our dignity," Rantisi said.
By JASON KEYSER Associated Press Writer
Copyright 2001 Associated Press, All rights reserved
