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Suicide bomber kills 16 Israelis
Compiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times, TEL AVIV -- A suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of a crowd waiting to enter a discotheque in Tel Aviv late Friday, killing himself and at least 16 other people and wounding at least 86 more, many of them seriously. "This is one of the worst I've ever seen in 15 years because of the time, the place and the number of casualties," Tel Aviv police Chief Yossi Sedbon said at the scene. "We do not expect that someone would come and explode himself in front of a nightclub."
President Bush, in a strongly worded response, demanded that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat condemn "the heinous terrorist attack" and call for an immediate cease-fire. "There is no justification for senseless attacks against innocent civilians," Bush said in a statement released by the White House. After the attack, bodies lay in pools of blood, draped with green and white plastic body bags as authorities rushed to remove the dead and treat the injured. Scores of the wounded lay sprawled along the streets of the beachfront area, known for its lively cafes and nightclubs. Glass and debris littered the sidewalks. The area is crowded with partying teenagers on the weekend. The bomber, who was not identified, managed to sneak into a long line of young people trying to get into the Pascha disco about 11:30 p.m., authorities said.
"I was about to enter (the disco), suddenly I looked in the direction of the blast, I saw people thrown backward," said Dudi Nachum, 21. Police closed all nightclubs in the area and urged Israelis to stay away from the scene, fearing that another bomb could have been planted nearby. Israeli television reported that the attack appeared to be the work of the militant Islamic Jihad, which has been responsible for other suicide bombings in Israel. Along with Hamas, another Islamic movement, the militants say their war against Israel will continue until Israel stops building and enlarging Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, Palestinian areas adjacent to Israel. The groups also demand that Israel return land it seized from Palestinians in the wars since the country's creation in 1948. Friday night's attack is likely to increase the pressure on Sharon to retaliate against Palestinian targets. That, in turn, is likely to incite more suicide bombings. Since the most recent fighting began in September, 483 Palestinians and 88 Israelis have died. "We will have to change the rules of the game," said Israeli Transportation Minister Ephraim Sneh. To "attack a place where there are children, teenagers. Nothing can be worse than this." "It is important to understand the enemy that we face. An enemy devoid of pity with no moral restrictions," added Uzi Landau, Israel's public security minister. Palestinian Parliament speaker Ahmed Qureia said the Palestinian Authority was against the killing of civilians on both sides of the conflict. But, he said, "there is no way to put an end to this cycle of violence as long as the Israeli government is not responding to the international community's calls or invitation to put an end to the aggression which it is practicing against the Palestinian people." Palestinians are demanding that Sharon stop building Jewish settlements before they agree to a cease-fire and to resume peace talks. Many analysts say Arafat is unable to stop the violence, especially the suicide attacks orchestrated by his rivals in Hamas and Islamic Jihad. However, there are signs that members of Arafat's Fatah organization recently have been cooperating with some Islamic militants. Hamas claimed responsibility last week for two suicide bombings that killed the attackers and injured dozens of Israelis, and they warned that more suicide bombers were on the way.
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From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
"I felt a big bang and I fell to the ground. I saw bodies lying in the blood," said 16-year-old Natalie Zuber, her mascara smudged by tears as she lay in the emergency room at Tel Aviv's Ichilov Hospital. An immigrant from the former Soviet republic of Kazakstan, Zuber said the club was crowded with other Russian-speaking teens. Although security guards were inspecting bags at the door, the bomber had sidled up to the crowd waiting to get inside.
