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Four Dead, 55 Wounded In Tel Aviv Attack
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Israeli
policemen and rescue workers search the scene after the explosion
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TEL
AVIV, April 30 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Few hours
after Israeli occupation helicopter gunships assassinated
three Palestinians and wounded scores others, a Palestinian resistance
fighter blew himself up at cafe near the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv
killing three Israeli and wounding 55 others.
"The
attack killed three people, not including the terrorist," Israeli
police chief Shlomo Aharonochki told journalists, adding that 55
people had been wounded in the blast.
A
caller told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the attack had been
jointly planned by Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and the Al Qassam
Brigades.
The
man calling himself Abu Barek said: "This attack was carried out
by a martyr from Tulkarem (in the north of the West Bank) to avenge
Mazen Erapeh, an Al Aqsa member recently killed in Nablus (by the
Israeli army), and was jointly planned by the Al Aqsa and Al Qassam
Brigades."
On
Tuesday, two Israeli attack helicopters fired rockets at a car near
the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis, killing Nidal Salamah, 33,
a leader of the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the armed wing of the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Later
on the same day, two members of Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades were
assassinated by Israeli tank fire in Bethlehem.
They
were identified as Mahmud Salah, 28, the group's leader in Bethlehem
and Anan Jawarish, 26, was one of his associates.
Israeli
police commander Yossi Setbon earlier told Israeli public radio:
"A suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance to the cafe
'Mike's Place' and claimed dozens of victims."
He
said a security guard had managed to stop the bomber from entering the
cafe, adding that the bomber used several kilograms of explosives
studded with nails.
Israeli
police cordoned off the whole district around the U.S. embassy and
carried out searches for explosives.
"The
absolute priority of the Palestinian cabinet must be to stop terrorism
and put an end to this kind of attack," an Israeli official who
requested anonymity told AFP.
The
bombing came just hours after the investiture by the Palestinian
parliament in the West Bank town of Ramallah of Mahmud
Abbas (Abu Mazen), 68, as prime minister of the Palestinian
Authority.
Abbas,
in a powerful and ambitious speech as the session opened, promised to
tackle rampant Palestinian violence.
Abbas's
call for a collection of unauthorized weapons met with flat rejection
from Palestinian resistance groups Hamas
and Islamic Jihad and skepticism from some of his own supporters.
Annan
Urges Restrain
U.N.
Secretary General Kofi Annan condemned the bombing attack, but urged
Israelis and Palestinians to stick to the peace process, his spokesman
said.
"He
strongly urges Israelis and Palestinians not to let this morally
reprehensible act derail the resumption of the peace process,"
Annan's spokesman said.
"The
secretary general calls on all concerned to exercise maximum restraint
and begin the implementation of the road map that will be presented
shortly."
"He
reiterates his appeal to the Palestinians to pursue non-violent
policies and urges the Palestinian Authority to make every effort to
stop these terrorist acts against Israelis," the spokesman said.
U.S.
Deplores
The
United States also condemned the bombing, and vowed to continued its
quest for Middle East peace.
"We
condemn this cowardly act of terrorism in the strongest possible
terms," a White House official said.
State
Department spokeswoman Nancy Beck said the administration of President
George W. Bush wanted to express its deepest condolences to the
victims of the bombing and their families.
"There
can be no excuse for the violence and terrorist attacks the Israeli
people have been forced to endure," Beck said.
She
claimed the administration believed the "despicable" attack
in Tel Aviv had been undertaken by those opposed to the restoration of
dialogue and the peaceful pursuit of a comprehensive peace in the
region.
"Attacks
such as these will not deter us -- and the proponents of peace
throughout the region -- from continuing down the path on which we
have embarked," she said.
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