Israel : Suicide bomber takes deadly toll. Palestinians condemn 'terrible' attack by The Age 3:58pm 19th Aug, 2003   UN News Centre: Annan denounces Palestinian suicide bombing as 'reprehensible' terrorist attack    19 August – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today condemned in the strongest possible terms the Palestinian suicide bombing in Jerusalem, which killed 20 Israelis and injured dozens more, calling it a totally reprehensible terrorist attack, urging Palestinian leaders to arrest the instigators and exhorting Israel to show restraint.    "The Secretary-General has made clear repeatedly that terrorist attacks are totally reprehensible," a statement issued by Mr. Annan's spokesman in New York said. "He urges Palestinian Prime Minister (Mahmoud) Abbas to take decisive action to arrest the instigators of this attack and prevent such attacks from happening again.    August 20, 2003. (The Age Newspaper).    A suicide bomber today blew up a bus packed with observant Jews returning from the Western Wall, killing at least 20 people and wounding more than 100 in one of the deadliest bombings in the past three years of fighting.    Several children were among the dead and wounded.    The militant Islamic Jihad group claimed responsibility, in a call to The Associated Press, saying it was avenging the killing of a senior operative by Israeli troops in an arrest raid last week. The bombing threatened to derail a United States-backed peace plan. In a first move, Israel called off the planned handover of the West Bank towns of Jericho and Qalqiliya to Palestinian control. The handover was to have taken place later this week.    The blast went off shortly after 9pm today (0400 AEST Wednesday), as the crowded tandem bus drove along a main thoroughfare in Jerusalem and another bus pulled in front of it, witnesses said.    "It was the No. 2 bus that came from the Western Wall," said a motorist, Jacob Bitnovsky. "It was a double bus. I heard a huge blast, and when I turned around I saw parts of the bus flying everywhere. I got out of the car and ran. There was a lot of smoke and running. I saw a child on the ground gasping for air."    The bus had started out at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest shrine, and was headed to an ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood, making it likely that many of the passengers were religious Jews. A second bus passing nearby when the explosion went off was also badly damaged, with windows blown out. Rescuers had to use blow torches to get out some of the injured.    "What is clear is that it was a very big bomb," said Jerusalem fire chief Amnon Amir.    Shocked survivors, including several crying children with blood-smeared faces, were led away from the scene. A paramedic cradled a little girl in his arms, and two others led away an older woman.    Paramedics treated wounded on the sidewalk, and body parts were strewn on the sidewalk. Jerusalem Police Chief Mickey Levy said more than 15 people were killed. Police spokesman Gil Kleiman, Israel Army Radio and rescue service workers put the number of dead at 20. Israeli officials don't include the bomber in the death toll. Fourteen of the wounded were in critical condition.    Israeli government spokesman Dore Gold said Israel was paying the price for the Palestinian Authority's inability to rein in militants. "Israel will have to protect it's population," he said, saying Israeli leaders had yet to decide on their response.    Palestinian legislator Saeb Erekat condemned the bombing. The explosion went off as Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas was meeting Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip to persuade them to halt attacks on Israelis.    Palestinian militants had declared a unilateral three-month truce on June 29, but have said they would continue taking revenge for Israeli killings of their operatives.Hamas said it was not involved. "We are committed to the truce. I don't know who carried out this action," said Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a Hamas leader.    - AP    Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas condemned the "terrible" bus bombing in Jerusalem as he called off planned talks with a hardline faction which claimed responsibility for today's attack.    "I strongly condemn this act in Jerusalem," Abbas told reporters in Gaza City.    "It is a terrible act against the Israeli civilians and this is not helping the interests of the Palestinian people."    Abbas said he had ordered his security minister Mohammed Dahlan to open an inquiry into the incident.    Abbas was speaking in Gaza where he was due to have held talks tomorrow morning with leaders from Hamas which claimed to have carried out the bombing. Islamic Jihad also claimed the Jerusalem attack.    But Ismail Haniya, a Hamas spokesman, said that Abbas had called off the talks, where he was expected to have sought to shore up a three-month truce called by militant groups.    Abbas was holding talks with Islamic Jihad leaders when the blast went off shortly after 9pm (7am AEST Wednesday). Senior Islamic Jihad figure Mohammed Al-Hindi told AFP that his organisation had affirmed its commitment to the truce during the talks with Abbas.    A statement issued later by the Palestinian leadership, which includes the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, also condemned the attack. "The Palestinian leadership is always against the targeting of civilians," it said. The statement also warned that the attack would play into the hands of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon who wanted to block the US-backed roadmap for peace. "Sharon and his government will use it to reject the roadmap and to have more assassinations against our people," said the statement.    A senior government official later told AFP that Sharon had decided to freeze all contacts with the Palestinians after the suicide bomb attack.    - AFP Visit the related web page
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