Israel Hit By Terrorism, Syria, Iran Behind Tel Aviv Attack
By
Sam
Ezer
and Joel Leyden Jerusalem-----January 19......Tel Aviv, the commercial capital of Israel, sustained another terror suicide bomb attack today. At 15:45, a Palestinian suicide terrorist detonated his lethal explosive charge in Tel Aviv's old Central bus station. The Islam terror bomber chose a soft spot - an area which was packed with men, women and children who were enjoying a peaceful meal at the 'Shuwarma Ha Ir' restaurant. The terror bombing came at a time of political uncertainty in the region, with Israel Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, fighting for his life after sustaining a massive stroke two weeks ago. Israel pointed at both Iran and Syria having coordinated the terror attack. Sami Antar, 20, from the Balata refugee camp, a member of the El Aksa terror organization injured over 30 people, leaving one seriously wounded and five in moderate condition. The only person killed in the attack was the bomber himself. Medical rescue teams arrived within minutes and evacuated the wounded to Ichilov, Wolfson and Tel-Hashomer hospitals. The Ichilov Hospital reported that the seriously injured victim was taken to the operation room. According to sources, the terrorist exploded himself after he walked into the restaurant. Witnesses described the car which ferried the terrorist to the area. "He came in, tried to sell razor blades and then went to the back of the shop where he blew himself up," the shop's owner Arieh Sharon said. Police said the explosion went off in the restaurant's bathroom, possibly prematurely as the bomber tried to prepare the explosive device. In addition, police said, the combination of a relatively small explosive device and the fact that the bomber chose a closed-in shop as his target, limited the damage and the number of wounded. Yehiel Ohana, who works in a nearby store, said the terrorist, who was wearing a black coat and black stocking cap, aroused his suspicions because of his unsteady gait. "The guy was standing at the corner of the street, looking like he was waiting for someone," Ohana said. "He swayed strangely. Then he went into the shwarma stand, and two to three seconds later, we heard the explosion. Everything shuddered. We entered the shwarma stand, and we saw him lying on the floor, and then we understood he was a suicide bomber." Israel police created a closed perimeter and helicopters were sent in to try to identify adn locate the car which made a successful escape. This created massive traffic conjugation thorough the Greater Tel Aviv area. It still is not clear how the terrorist came into Israel although sources believe he circumvented Israel security checkpoints near Kefar Kassem or Jerusalem. "If it was up to the Palestinian terror groups they would try and attack us every hour of every day," Israel Police Insp.-Gen. Moshe Karadi said from the scene of the attack. The Islamic Jihad Movement claimed responsibility for the barbaric bomb blast. Haled El-Batash, one of the organization Heads, couldn't confirm or deny but he applauded the bomber stating that this was a natural response to the killing of innocent people by the Israel forces trying to arrest Palestinian terrorists. Abu Mazen, the PLO chairman, said that the terror attack in Israel was created in order to sabotage the upcoming Palestine elections and represented a challenge to his personal authority in the West Bank and Gaza. While meeting with the press in his office he added that the people behind this terror attack should be punished. Saib Arikat, the Minister for negotiations in the Palestinian Authority repeated his Chairman's definition regarding the bomb blast, saying that this was an act of sabotage against the upcoming Palestinian elections on Wednesday and all subsequent peace negotiations. The US condemned the Islam terror suicide attack in Israel and called upon the Palestinian Authority to do all that was required to prevent such terrorist attacks. Havyar Solana asked both Israel and Palestinians not to give in to terrorism, not to allow terror to prevent the future elections since elections are the only way to contribute to disciplined and educated nations in expressing themselves. Israel's acting prime minister, Ehud Olmert, did not immediately comment on the bombing. But other officials said: "The Palestinian Authority adamantly refuses to round up terrorists and incarcerate them." The official added: "We saw the results today in Tel Aviv." The terror attack brought down ceiling tiles, overturned chairs, shattered glass and left the wall and floor smeared with blood.. In January 2003, a total of 23 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in a double suicide bombing in the same working-class area, where many foreign workers live. Israel Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz ordered the Israel Defense Forces to continue intensive anti-terror operations against Islamic Jihad, which took credit for the terror attack. At a late-night security assessment on Thursday, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz ordered the IDF to tighten the blockade around Nablus and intensify operations against the Islamic Jihad in the West Bank. "The Tel Aviv attack is a direct result of Iranian funds and orders handed down from the Islamic Jihad headquarters in Damascus" Mofaz said. According to a security official, details of the attack were sent to US and European officials to prove that terror is not Israel's personal problem. Osama bin Laden warned in an audiotape aired yesterday that his terrorists are preparing new attacks in the United States but offered the American people a "long-term truce" without specifying the conditions. The tape, portions of which were aired on Al-Jazeera television, was the first from the al-Qaida leader in more than a year. Iran has stated that it would "wipe Israel off the map" and recently took action to renew its nuclear weapons program, defying UN resolutions which had requested that all nuclear activity be ceased. Israel's Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday that he believed it was possible for the international community to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. "I believe that there is a way to prevent non-conventional weapons coming into the hands of those who pose a danger to the entire world," Olmert said during a meeting with Iranian-born Israel's President Moshe Katsav. Israel Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra said Iran TV was the first to broadcast the Islamic Jihad claim of responsibility. "There is a trail to Iran and to Syria where the extremist organizations are," Ezra told Israel TV. Sponsored by IsraelPr.com |
