Suicide Attack At Israeli Bus Stop -
Policeman Killed, 2 People Wounded
The bomb was detonated as the police approached

September 18, 2002

A suicide bomber has blown himself up at a bus stop in northern Israel, reportedly killing a policeman and injuring three other people.

The explosion occurred at about 1700 (1400 GMT) during the evening rush hour near the Arab Israeli town of Umm el-Fahm.

The bomber detonated his device after he was approached by a police van. Emergency medical staff said the victim was a policeman, but there was no immediate confirmation from police.

The blast - the first suicide bombing in Israel since 4 August - came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon demanded a total cessation of violence before any start to a fresh peace plan proposed by international leaders.

Police believe that the bomber, whose identity is not yet known, had intended to board a bus to carry out his attack.


But his plan was foiled when he was approached by police officers acting on a tip that a suspicious character with a bag had been spotted at the bus stop, security officials said.

Unknown attacker

"A terrorist approached a mobile police patrol that came to check him, and he blew up to the right of the police patrol," Moshe Dahan, a paramedic at the scene said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, although Mahmoud Zahar, a spokesman for the Islamic militant group Hamas, welcomed the attack, saying that "the Palestinians have every right to fight against the occupation".

The blast brought swift condemnation from the Israeli Government. Spokesman Avi Pazner said it was the "result of the complete inaction of the Palestinian Authority".

Mr Pazner said the explosion justified Israel's continued re-occupation of the West Bank which had "allowed us to stop the number of attacks being bigger".

Although it was the first suicide bomb attack in Israel in more than a month, the Israeli authorities in recent weeks have apprehended a number of suspected bombers trying to enter the Jewish state.

Earlier Palestinians responded cautiously to the outlining of a "road map to a Palestinian state", announced by senior officials from an international quartet - the United Nations, European Union, United States and Russia.

Quartet plan

Phase 1 (2003): Palestinian elections, security reform, Israel pull back, humanitarian initiatives, security agreement
Phase 2: Palestinian state created
Phase 3 (2004-2005): Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on permanent status solution

The Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, said he saw Israeli troop withdrawals as the key beginning for reforms and moves towards peace.

Mr Sharon said the only hope for the latest peace plan put forward by the international community would be for the Palestinians to end all attacks and reform their security forces.

"For there to be progress, there must be an absolute end to terror and violence," he told a cabinet meeting.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2266833.stm