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Palestinian suicide bomber kills 8 in Jerusalem
A Palestinian suicide bomber killed eight people on a crowded Jerusalem bus on Sunday on the eve of World Court hearings into a controversial barrier Israel says will ensure its security against such attacks. Police said around 60 people were wounded in the blast, which turned the green number 14 bus into a charred skeleton at a busy intersection near the Inbal Hotel, where leaders of major U.S. Jewish organizations were meeting. "People were screaming 'mommy, daddy'. There were body parts everywhere including some hands and feet scattered outside the bus," medic Reuven Pohl said. Israeli leaders were expected to meet late on Sunday to discuss how to respond to the bombing, a political source said. The World Court begins hearings in The Hague on Monday on the legality of the West Bank barrier that Israel says keeps suicide bombers out, but which Palestinians call a land grab. The militant group al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, part of President Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction, claimed responsibility for the bombing and released a farewell video showing the bomber in front of the group's flag. But it later denied involvement. The top Palestinian security body vowed to bring those responsible to justice. Arafat's office condemned the bombing and called the timing deliberate and harmful for the diplomatic campaign against the barrier. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie said it would have "a negative effect" on the Hague discussions. Washington also strongly condemned the bombing. "We do note the Palestinian authority's comments... However, it is time to move beyond words and take action to dismantle these terrorist networks," a White House spokesman said. When one Israeli minister suggested at Sunday's cabinet meeting that the attack could be seen as a protest against the barrier, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said: "We don't have to look for a reason why Jews are killed and they won't stop killing Jews ever." "The pictures today speak more than 1,000 depositions at the court in The Hague," Sharon's spokesman, Ra'anan Gissin, said. PACKED WITH METAL SHARDS The bomber struck during rush hour at the start of the Israeli work week. Police said the bomb was packed with metal shards to make it more deadly. Al-Aqsa named the bomber as Mohammed Zaal, 23, from Hussan village near the West Bank town of Bethlehem. It said the attack was a reaction to the barrier and to an Israeli raid that killed 15 Palestinians in Gaza City on February 11. Israeli troops sealed off Bethlehem after the attack. A Palestinian security official said soldiers arrested the bomber's wife, mother, father and four brothers.
Palestinian groups have killed 867 Israelis since an uprising for statehood began in 2000. At least 2,350 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict. A suicide bomber last struck in Jerusalem on January 29, killing 11 people on a number 19 bus. Israel has sent the wreckage to The Hague as part of its public relations offensive for the World Court hearings. About 110 miles of the planned 435 miles West Bank barrier has been built. Minutes before the blast, Israeli work crews began tearing down a five-mile section of the barrier that separated a Palestinian village from the rest of the West Bank. Construction continues elsewhere, including near Jerusalem. Palestinians call the barrier an attempt to seal a hold on land Israel has occupied since the 1967 Middle East war. The Hague court will issue a non-binding opinion on the barrier at the request of the United Nations. Israel has made a written submission, but will not attend the proceedings, leaving campaigners to put its case outside the court. |
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