Suicide Bomber Kills 20 on Israeli Bus

[nowitzki_prophecy]

By LARA SUKHTIAN, Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM - A suicide bomber blew himself up on a bus packed with ultra-Orthodox Jews on Tuesday, killing 20 people, including at least three children, and wounding about 100 in one of the deadliest bombings in the past three years of fighting.










The militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad both claimed responsibility. Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas condemned the bombing as a "terrible act."
The bombing threatened to derail the U.S.-backed "road map" 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 9 p.m. Tuesday, as the crowded tandem bus — which has two passenger sections — drove along a main thoroughfare in Jerusalem and another bus pulled in front of it, witnesses said.
The attack followed a deadly explosion set off by a suicide bomber outside the hotel housing the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad. A government spokesman said there was no known direct link between the two bombings, although he said the motivations were similar.
"It is motivated by extremist Islamist militants who don't accept the legitimacy of the West or of Israel," government spokesman Dore Gold said.
Several children also were among the wounded in Jerusalem.
"It was the No. 2 bus that came from the Western Wall," said a motorist, Jacob Bitnovsky. "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, 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 neighborhood.
One report said among the passengers were members of a family who had celebrated a Bar Mitzvah, the Jewish rite of passage into adulthood for boys, at the Western Wall.
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 wounded.
"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 elderly woman.
Paramedics treated wounded on the sidewalk, and body parts were strewn about.
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.
In Washington, the White House deplored the bombing and offered sympathies to the victims and their families.
"We condemn this vicious act of terrorism," said Sean McCormack, a spokesman on national security issues. "We call on the Palestinian Authority (news - web sites) to dismantle terrorism."
Gold, the Israeli government spokesman, 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.
The explosion went off as Abbas was meeting with Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip (news - web sites) to persuade them to halt attacks on Israelis. Abbas said he has asked Palestinian security forces to investigate.
Palestinian militants declared a unilateral truce on June 29, but have said they would continue taking revenge for Israeli killings of their operatives.
Last week, Islamic Jihad threatened attacks on Israelis to avenge the killing of a senior operative, Mohammed Sidr, in an Israeli arrest raid in the West Bank city of Hebron.
In a phone call to The Associated Press, Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for Tuesday's bombing, saying it was in revenge for the killing of Sidr, whom Israel has accused of plotting a series of attacks.
Later Tuesday, Hamas distributed fliers in Hebron, saying the Jerusalem bombing was carried out by one of its supporters, identified as Raed Abdel-Hamed Mesk, 29.
In the Gaza Strip, a Hamas leader, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, insisted Hamas was not involved. "We are committed to the truce. I don't know who carried out this action," Rantisi said.

[Drbio]

Extremely sad and frustrating news.

[nowitzki_prophecy]

My parents were visiting my brother in a base in jerusalem.
They were there minutes before it happened.

[Drbio]

I am glad to hear they are safe, but very sad at the news.

[nowitzki_prophecy]

I really dont know what do think anymore,doc.
Im starting to think this is hopeless.

i just dont know

[Chiwas]

Im starting to think this is hopeless.

I was thinking the same reading your thread.

But has to have a solution. And it has to be a pacific one.

Don't be sad. Other nations have been able to fix their problems, why couldn't you?

[FishForLunch]

Now that we see there is no hope, they should just fight it out. Syria, lebanon vs Israel. If this had happened in the US the response will be immediate and furious. I think Israel is fighting with one hand tied behind its back.

[nowitzki_prophecy]

Now that we see there is no hope, they should just fight it out. Syria, lebanon vs Israel. If this had happened in the US the response will be immediate and furious. I think Israel is fighting with one hand tied behind its back.

We've been fighting it out for almost 60 years,and theres a reason only "Terrorists organizations" attack us,we've never lost.
So we fight again,we win again,we're still in the same situation.

Look,its obvious the US has alot of double standarts going on,but at the same time you need to understand they HAVE to be the middle man,if they just stay out of the way,you'd hear complaints from other countries about the lack of involvment of the US,and if they give israel too much freedom to operate,they would look too favorite of israel(has it is anyway),and wouldn't be the middle man.
All an all,the US is doing a pretty decent job,could have been better,but still,pretty decent job.

[Drbio]

It is very difficult for us to understand that middle stance NP. I support Israel 100% in their right to their territory. I understand however the desire for land by the Palestinians. Noone has answers, but we should all strive for peace in the middle east somehow.

[nowitzki_prophecy]

It is very difficult for us to understand that middle stance NP. I support Israel 100% in their right to their territory. I understand however the desire for land by the Palestinians. Noone has answers, but we should all strive for peace in the middle east somehow.

Doc,its way behond that now,we had a "Road Map" ready to be executed,but they would have no less than israel wiped out.
I know it sounds melodramatic,but its true,we have no one to talk to.
Im telling you,if sharon thought it would suffice,you would have a palestinian country with clear cut borders,getting tons of aid from israel,in a year top.
But we know that just wouldn't happen.
This people are just full with violence,and they clearly care more about revenge and hatred,than the future of their children.
They have no compassion or understanding,and they for civilians,women and children.
That bus was filled with children,and many of dead are children.
You saw it in 9/11,we see it everyday,they're just brutal people,that holds no value for humens life.

[Evilmav2]

Prophecy, thank goodness your parents are alright...

As far as the other stuff is concerned...

For my own part, I think that Israel might have done well to expel all of the Gaza and West Bank palestinians to Madagascar over 30 years ago, but since that is probably no longer a viable option, I think that continuing to segregate and separate the palestinians from the Israeli populace and economy is still the best way to go.

Ariel Sharon's far-sighted and decisive decision to build the Big Fence will eventually make it almost impossible for irregular or terrorist, Mohammaden madmen to strike out at your people in Israel- if it is employed to exclude all non-military traffic between the territories. As I understand it, the economic value of the arab areas of the West Bank and Gaza strip are virtually nil, so an Israeli ability to contain them with security forces and the Big Fence seems to be an almost no-risk gambit; that on the one hand might force palestinian leadership to negotiate in true good faith for a form of territorial self-rule (the fear of becoming an isolated, economically decrepid, South African-style "Homeland" is a credible threat that eventually might force the less rabid elements of the Palestinian power bases to consider true, good-faith negotiation), or at the very least, the Fence and the continued operation of your admirable and competent police and military forces in the territories can make monstrous attacks like today's very, very, very difficult...

If no arabs can legally enter Israel to work or buy things, the logistics of inserting hostile Islamic fighters into Israel proper will render terror attacks extemely difficult, and that will make them very rare...

Completing and sealing the fence will also strengthen Israel's option of fostering a continual process of founding and supporting new settlements and thus lopping off problem areas in the West Bank. By de-miliarizing and de-arabizing targetted areas and then extending fence/security coverage to cover those areas, the difficult work of fostering Israeli settlement into the hostile territory of the West Bank will be made easier than in the past...

Of course, the fence isn't going to solve all of the problems of the Palestinian Mandate tomorrow, but I think it's completion may well help to facilitate the execution of a realistic solution to the palestinian problem- whether by a fair negotiated settlement, or by force...

[Nicky31]

Very sad news...

One day there will be peace in the middle east, and all over the world; that's a prophecy from the bible.