Militant Islam Monitor > Articles > Suicide bombing in Israeli market kills 5 wounds scores as terrorism escalates in wake of Gaza appeasement/ surrender
Suicide bombing in Israeli market kills 5 wounds scores as terrorism escalates in wake of Gaza appeasement/ surrender
October 26, 2005
MIM: More proof that Israel's surrender of the West Bank is leading to total war and an escalation of global Jihad.
Israel Rocked By Islamic Terror Bomber As Iran Cries War
By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency
http://www.israelnewsagency.com/israelterrorismhaderairan661026.html
Jerusalem----October 26......Idealistic hopes for peace in the Middle-East were erased today as an Islamic Palestinian suicide bomber murdered at least 5 in Israel and Iran's leader called for Israel's destruction.
It was a lazy, sunny Autumn day in Israel, with the nation slowly returning from a peaceful Rosh Hashana new years celebration. The last of the holidays - Succot - had just finished with workers now piling back into lines of rush hour traffic, students preparing to return to school as a suicide bomber detonated a lethal bomb in an outdoor market in Hadera, Israel. We had our minds on Microsoft Chief Bill Gates visiting Israel, on peace and prosperity for Israel and her neighbors. We deluded ourselves into thinking that the bus and restaurant terror bombings were now relegated to the pages of history.
Israel had enjoyed many days of peace and quiet since making it's peace move, a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza. But for those who read the daily papers, knew that this so called "truce" with the Palestinian Authority, Hamas and Islamic Jihad would not last.
Israel Defense Forces soldiers had intercepted suicide bombers in the past two weeks, some concealing mortar rockets and one Palestinian women was found hiding a grenade under her baby. The woman, Aziza Jawabra, said the grenade was in the pocket of her jacket and she did not know it was there. The grenade discovery was made while IDF soldiers searched a house in the town of Assira a-Shimaliya, north of Nablus. Soldiers arrested five terrorists, including Jawabra's husband. The troops also found 22 pounds of explosives hidden in a suitcase in the house, he added.
The IDF and Israel intelligence were working overtime in the West Bank finding and destroying pounds of explosive material and arresting Palestinians planning terror attacks in Israel. But as hard as they tried to prevent an act of terrorism, the lack of action taken by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas against terrorism in confronting Islamic Jihad, Hamas and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed wing of Abba's ruling Fatah movement, proved fatal for the region today.
Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying it was avenging Israel's killing of a top West Bank terrorist on Monday.
"It's like a war zone here," one witness, Idan Akiva, said after the blast at the popular outdoor market where pools of blood mixed on the pavement with smashed produce and shattered debris. Hadera is a middle-class, blue collar city located on Israel's coast about one hour north of Tel Aviv.
The Israel Air Force IDF and artillery pounded an area of northern Gaza early on Wednesday in response to terrorists firing a rocket into southern Israel. No casualties were reported.
Hours later, an Islamic terrorist blew himself up in front of a sandwich stand in the main market in Hadera, a frequent target of terror attacks against innocent Jewish and Israel Arab citizens for the past five years.
At least five people were killed and 30 wounded, emergency officials said. It was the first bombing inside the Jewish state since August 28, when a suicide bomber struck at the entrance to Beersheba's central bus station, wounding 20.
Israel Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Wednesday's attack represented "violent language transformed into violent action", referring to recent terror threats against Israel.
As Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat was throwing out empty soundbytes to the international media saying: "We condemn this attack, and urge all to understand that violence will only breed violence and we don't want to go back to this vicious cycle" the PA was asked by Israel to take action in arresting those responsible for today's blast. The Palestinian Authority has taken no action by the time of the filing of this report except to denounce violence.
The Hadera bomber was released from an Israel jail a month ago. Mahmoud Abbas's Al Aksa terror commanders have lavishly praised and declared their full support for Islamic Jihad for the Hadera bombing and for any future bombings they may carry out. Aside from Al Aksa being part of Abu Mazen's Fatah, many of the Al Aksa leadership are now on the PA payroll. The individuals who glorify terror should be identified by name, and where appropriate identified as employees of the PA. With 25 percent of the PA budget coming from international donations, the EU have in the past promised that anyone involved in terror would be sacked and arrested.
Islamic Jihad, a group sworn to Israel's destruction, had vowed revenge after Israeli troops shot dead West Bank Islamic Jihad commander Loai Assadi, the most senior terrorist killed since the start of the so called truce. Khader Habib, an Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza, called the Hadera bombing "a natural reaction to the crimes of the occupation".
Israel, which said Assadi had been planning new attacks, has said it reserves the right to strike at "ticking bombs" despite the truce. Islamic Jihad had murdered 10 Israelis in two other bombings since the truce was declared in February. After a lull for much of Tuesday, terrorists fired two rockets at Israel from Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza early on Wednesday, witnesses said. The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's ruling Fatah movement, claimed responsibility for the rocket attack.
Abbas had condemned earlier rocket attacks by the terrorists. About two hours after the Israel Negev town of Sderot was hit, the Israel military said it had sent warplanes to carry out a bombing raid against a rocket launching site in northern Gaza. The aircraft fired warning shots into an open area, the military said. Terrorists had fired a barrage of rockets at Israel on Monday in retaliation for Assadi's killing. Israel responded with missile strikes in which Palestinian medics said a woman and her two daughters were wounded.
The Jewish state said it had targeted buildings used by Islamic terrorists. It was the latest flare-up of violence since Israel evacuated 8,500 settlers from Gaza under what Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called a plan to "disengage" from conflict with Palestinians. But Sharon has vowed that Israel will never give up large West Bank settlement blocs. Some 245,000 Jews live in the West Bank, home to 2.4 million Palestinians.
As many innocent Israel men, women and children fight for their lives following the Hadera bombing, the White House is criticizing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for the destruction of Israel.
White House Spokesman Scott McClellan says President Ahmadinejad's comments underscore the Bush administration's concerns about Iran's nuclear intentions. Iran says it is developing a nuclear program for peaceful civilian purposes. President Bush says he believes the country is secretly developing a nuclear weapons program.
President Ahmadinejad spoke at a conference in Tehran entitled, "The World Without Zionism." He said Israel should be wiped off the map as the Islamic world will not let its historic enemy live in its heartland. President Ahmadinejad dismissed Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip as a trick meant to make Islamic states acknowledge Israel. Those that do, he said, will be forever disgraced.
After briefing President Bush on Iraq, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Zalmy Khalilzad said Washington has a long list of concerns about Tehran, including its approach to Israel. "Of course, we are opposed to Iranian policies with regard to Israel, we are opposed with regard to the nuclear policy, with regard to their support of terror, with regard to their negative policies in Iraq," he said. France says it is summoning Iran's ambassador to Paris to the presidential palace to explain President Ahmadinejad's call for eliminating Israel. Germany says the comments are completely unacceptable. France, Germany, and Britain are negotiating with Iran over its controversial nuclear program. President Bush wants Iran brought before the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions if it does not cooperate fully with more inspections from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Israel Defense Minister Mofaz vowed to do everything possible to protect Israel's citizens, adding, "We have the possibility to prevent these sorts of attacks. Israel has prevented hundreds of these attacks over the past year. We will learn how it happened, from which terrorist infrastructure it came from, and we'll act accordingly. I understand the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization took responsibility. We'll make sure to deal with the Islamic Jihad as we have done with other terrorist infrastructures."
The Hadera terror attack occurred as the defense minister touched down at Ben-Gurion airport after warning Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak earlier in the day that terror attacks would take place. "I said to him 'Even as we sit here, a number of terrorist cells are planning to carry out attacks in Israel in order to spread death and havoc and murder across our country.' To my regret, I didn't know how accurate the timing of my statement would be," Mofaz said. . A military aide rushed up to Mofaz as soon as he stepped out of the plane, and filled him in with details. Phones and beepers started ringing in the group of aides and reporters traveling with Mofaz.
The government tonight approved a major military operation in the territories a few hours after the suicide bombing in Hadera. According to the government decision, the army is to operate on two fronts - the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It is to impose a general curfew on the West Bank and all crossings into Palestinian-controlled areas will be closed. In addition, northern Samaria will be cut-off from the rest of the West Bank, and no Palestinian privately-owned vehicles will be allowed to travel in that area. An operation against Qassam rocket launchers in the northern Gaza Strip will be launched and ground forces will deploy for a possible incursion into the Strip. The IDF will not, at this stage, send ground forces into the Gaza Strip. Israel Defense Forces sources said that military activity will target from now on Islamic Jihad. The sources also accused Syria of encouraging and backing Jihad's activity, saying that from now on the IDF is to assume complete responsibility over security in the West Bank, because the Palestinian Authority "is not delivering the goods."
Sky News reports from Jerusalem that "the cycle of violence" has again started with the IDF preparing for action against those responsible for today's terrorism. Sky News and other international media make the mistake of placing Israel on the same page as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. How short their memories are of Jews evacuating Jews from Gaza in Israel's quest for a fair and lasting peace. A unilateral action which still goes unmatched by the Palestinian leadership. Israel created a cycle of peace which was destroyed today at falafel stand in Hadera.
Israel will know no peace nor will a Palestinian State ever see the light of day until Mahmoud Abbas confronts and secures all weapons from Islamic terror organizations. Abbas, is becoming very much like Yasser Arafat, preaching peace as he allows those around him to destroy it. The very roots of Islamic terrorism must and will be wiped out in Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia. Only then will Israelis and Palestinians be able to break bread together in an environment of peace and prosperity in contrast to today's fear, mistrust and bloodshed.
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MIM: One example that the 'cycle of violence' is a war can be seen in this article about a 2001 sucide bombing in Hadera. That bombing was met by Sharon's meek reponse to call upon terrorist leader Yasser Arafat for a 'cease fire'. The bombing in Hadera on Tuesday could be seen as the predictable followup to his failure to take action, and shows that not meeting terrorism by force only encourages more terrorism.
http://english.people.com.cn/english/200105/26/eng20010526_71128.html
Sharon Repeats Ceasefire Call After Hadera Bombing Attack
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Friday afternoon repeated his call to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for a ceasefire after two Palestinian suicide bombers blasted their car up in northern Israeli coastal city of Hadera.
At least 50 Israelis were wounded in the incident, which occurred three days after Sharon announced a so-call "unilateral ceasefire" from the Israeli side, refraining the Israeli army from taking initiated operations.
Earlier Friday, another Palestinian suicide bomber blasted the truck he was driving when he approached an Israeli army outpost in the Gaza Strip, killing himself but failing to wound any Israeli soldiers.
Inspecting the site of a building collapse disaster in western Jerusalem, Sharon made comments on the two suicide bombing attacks, saying that the attacks will not change his determination for a ceasefire between the two sides.
Over 550 people have been killed, most of them Palestinians, in the Palestinian-Israeli violence since it erupted last September.
"Of course, in any case in which we are in danger, we won't sit with our hands tied. But our tendency is, even if we must wait for a few more days, to give the Palestinian (National) Authority the possibility of calling a ceasefire," Sharon said.
The Palestinians had termed Sharon's ceasefire announcement as " a public relations ploy."
Sharon also said that Israel had "fully" accepted the report published by the international fact-finding committee last Monday, which Sharon claimed first and foremost calls for a total stop of violence.
"That is the position of Israel, the United States, and the writers of the report: The first thing is that the terror must end," he said.
The report urged both sides to refrain from fighting, carry out confidence-building measures after a calm period, and then resume their peace talks.
Sharon promised Friday that an end to "Palestinian violence is what will open up other processes," obviously referring to Palestinians' demands to freeze Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and resume peace talks.
The bombing attack in Hadera, some 40 kilometers north of Tel Aviv, took place at about 2 p.m. (1100 GMT) Friday when two Palestinians exploded "relative large devices" on a side street near the bus station, killing themselves.
Police sources said that the car then rammed an Israeli bus traveling from Tel Aviv to northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shemona, some 100 kilometers northeast of Hadera, wounding at least 44 people.
Most of the injured sustained lightly to moderately wounds, among them a 10-year-old boy and a seven-month-old baby.
The bombing incident occurred exactly a week after a Palestinian suicide bomber killed himself and five Israelis at the entrance of a shopping mall in northern Israeli coastal city of Netanya, just 10 kilometers south of Hadera.
It further strained Israel's emergency rescue services as most of the rescue teams are still working hard on the scene of a building collapse, which happened late Thursday in western Jerusalem, killing at least 26 Israelis and wounding 400.
According to a Lebanese television station, both the Palestinian Islamic resistance Movement Hamas and Islamic Jihad (Holy War) claimed responsibility for the Hadera attack.
Hamas officials said earlier Friday that the groups would launch more bombing attacks at Israeli targets on Friday to mark the first anniversary of Israeli army's withdrawal from south Lebanon under the pressure of the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, or Party of God.
Sharon blamed the Palestinian leadership for not only failing to issue a ceasefire order, but keeping encouraging the escalation of the violence.
"We do know for certain that the Palestinian (National) Authority is behind terror activities, is not preventing terror activities, and to my regret, despite an appeal from myself as well as from the president of the United States, Arafat has still not issued an order for a cease fire," Sharon asserted.
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