Israel Takes New Actions After Suicide Bomb
J E R U S A L E M, Aug. 10 -- Israeli F-16 fight jets fired missiles at a Palestinian police station in Ramallah today, hours after a Palestinian suicide bomber set himself off in Israel, killing at least 15 people.
The police station burst into flames, but there was no immediate word of casualties. Many Palestinian police stations have been evacuated in fears of an attack.
The attack followed a late-night meeting by Israeli cabinet officials to determine a response to the bombing. Cabinet officials were unclear on what actions they would take, but some Middle East experts expressed fears that further violence could intensify frictions and spiral into full-out war.
When a suicide bomber attacked a Tel Aviv disco on June 1, killing 22, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon refrained from taking action in order to pressure Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to declare a cease-fire.
Sharon overwhelmingly won an election last year by pledging to put security before peace. He pledged to hit back hard against terrorists, but a continuing campaign of air strikes and assassinations has failed to quell the violence.
The First Stone
The suicide bombing happened hours earlier in a busy downtown pizzeria in the heart of Jerusalem, killing an American an several children, among others.
American Judith Greenbaum of New Jersey was among those killed, and Hanna Tova Nachemberg, 31, of Riverdale, N.Y., was critically wounded, State Department officials told ABCNEWS.
The blast occurred at a Sbarro restaurant in the busy junction of Jaffa and King George roads during lunchtime, when the pizzeria was full of people.
In response to the attack, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat issued a condemnation and called for a joint truce declaration with Israel.
"I denounce the bombing attack that took place in West Jerusalem and I denounce all acts that harm civilians," he said in a statement released by the Palestinian Authority. "I call on the Israeli government to immediately make a joint declaration for a cease-fire and to begin implementingMitchell's recommendations under international supervision."
