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| Middle East |
| 10 Die in Israeli Port Suicide Bombing |
| 2003-10-04 |
| A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded beach restaurant in the northern Israeli port city of Haifa on Saturday, killing at least 10 people and wounding about two dozen, several of them seriously. Police said a gunman was also involved in the attack, but the circumstances were not immediately clear. The attack targeted the popular Maxim restaurant on Haifa's beach promenade on the southern edge of the city. On Saturdays, the promenade is packed with people. Police said the blast was set off by a suicide bomber, who had explosives strapped to his body. Police said 10 people were killed and about two dozen more were wounded. The attack came despite a blanket closure Israel had imposed on the West Bank and Gaza Strip ahead of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, which begins at sundown Sunday and ends at sundown Monday. Such closures are generally imposed during Jewish holidays because of increased concerns about attacks by Palestinian militants in such periods. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Saturday's attack, the first suicide bombing since twin attacks killed 15 people on September 9, near an army base outside Tel Aviv and at a Jerusalem coffee shop. Since fighting broke out three years ago, more than 400 Israelis have been killed in 103 Palestinian suicide bombings. After the Sept. 9 bombings, Israel threatened to "remove" Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, either through expulsion or assassination, but did not say when it would take action. It is widely believed that a major attack with many casualties could trigger Israeli measures against Arafat. The Palestinian Authority had no immediate comment. David Baker, an official in Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office, said Israel demands that the Palestinian Authority take immediate steps against militant groups. "The bombing in Haifa is another indication that the Palestinian Authority continues to refuse to take even minimal steps against the terrorist infrastructure," he said. |
| Posted by:Sickened Anonymous |
| #16 More from MEMRI - DR. NABIL SHA'ATH, MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS FOR THE OUTGOING PA GOVERNMENT SAID THAT DISMANTLING THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF ARMED PALESTINIAN ORGANIZATIONS AS CALLED FOR IN THE ROAD MAP IS A PROBLEM AND AN ALTERNATIVE MUST BE FOUND. (AL-QUDS, PA, 10/3/03) Funny, I don't see a problem at all; it just depends on how you define dismantling. If they can't, we will... and all the king's horses, and all the king's men...... |
| Posted by: Mercutio 2003-10-4 7:12:33 PM |
| #15 JFM _ OK, a bit of a re-evaluation on my part, here after just reading in today's MEMRI posts, that 55% of Palestinians favor the continuation of suicide attacks on Israel.... go with a numeric tit-for-tat, just make sure it's the right 55%. |
| Posted by: Mercutio 2003-10-4 7:05:12 PM |
| #14 Mercutio The ten to one rule was also used in France. It is not specific to Heydrich: if my memory is any good it was allowed by Geneva convention for occupation forces harassed not by classic guerillas (who disappear in the wilderness) but by people who mix in the population. But I agree it is not a good idea, despite thinking that the Palis are doing a cold demographic calculation: killing irreplaceable Israeli women and children does more harm to Isreal than the losses in men (expendable in a poligamic society) experienced by Palestinians. A better solution would be akin to the one proposed by old Patriot: each time there is a bombing, N square kilometers of the Palestinian zone are incorporated permanently into Israel and their inhabitants cast out. |
| Posted by: JFM 2003-10-4 2:32:17 PM |
| #13 nice - the female boomer was a Paleo lawyer trained in Jordan, who committed the bombing to avenge the IDF killing of her brother and fiance (who was also her cousin)....Paleo society fever - catch it |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-10-4 2:31:02 PM |
| #12 JFM_ re: your 10:1 suggestion. I believe Heydreich (spelling?) used a similar formula in Czechosovakia in WWII, with spectacularly unhelpful results. Use a scalpel,JFM, not a hammer. Everytime, this crap happens, take out the top man and maybe one or two of his buddies. Don't fall into the trap of terror for terror. |
| Posted by: Mercutio 2003-10-4 1:39:36 PM |
| #11 Israel needs to up the cost to the Paleolithic stoneheads by destroying whole VILLAGES, instead of a single house. Force the people out, force them to the nearest border with another Arab country, and force them across, then totally devastate the village they left, so there's nothing they can come back to. It can't make things worse for Israel than they are right now, and can actually force SOME people to acknowledge the PALEOS are the problem. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-10-4 1:22:07 PM |
| #10 I know that I have brought this item up before, but with the US/Israeli population of 47:1, 400 Israelis dying is the equivalent of almost 17,000 US citizens dying from suicide bombings. This would be outrageous and unacceptable to us. It is certainly outrageous and unacceptable to the Israelis. Arafat wants to corner all the perks and graft and run the show, that's fine. When he owns it, he is responsible. If he does not own it, then he is not responsible and he better stay out of the way. He cannot have it both ways. The Israeli government better take responsibility for its citizens and bring down the hammer on the terrorists, starting with Arafat. Otherwise it is condoning murder on the installment plan. It is truly heartbreaking. Ball is in your court, Israel. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-10-4 12:28:27 PM |
| #9 Via LGF: UPDATE: The murderer was a woman. The bomber was later identified as woman, who security sources said was a member of Islamic Jihad from the West Bank city of Jenin. She apparently entered Israel between the towns of Baka al-Garbiyeh, which is inside Israel, and Baka al-Sharkiyeh, in the West Bank, in an area in which the separation fence has not yet been completed. UPDATE: Palestinian spokesliar Saeb Erekat has appealed to âthe international communityâ to make sure that Israel does not defend her citizens against the Palestinian savages: The chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said he appealed to international mediators to ensure that Israel does not retaliate. "We don't want Israel to add fuel to the fire," he said. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-10-4 11:47:37 AM |
| #8 Is this Arrafart death warrant? Hope so. |
| Posted by: Raptor 2003-10-4 11:23:46 AM |
| #7 Frank G I don't know where is Anesty International but I can tell you where is the BBC: preparing the second part of the report they broadcasted two days ago about the trauma suffered by Palestinian children. |
| Posted by: JFM 2003-10-4 11:06:45 AM |
| #6 Yassin, then Arafat... One shot, one kill... |
| Posted by: badanov 2003-10-4 10:33:40 AM |
| #5 Kahane said it best: TRANSFER. No Arabs, no terror. |
| Posted by: Scooter McGruder 2003-10-4 10:23:02 AM |
| #4 5 children among the dead - where's the Amnesty International outcry? The UN? The ISM bitching and moaning? anyone? hello?........*crickets chirping* |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-10-4 10:15:56 AM |
| #3 Abu Amar? G'bye! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-10-4 10:07:52 AM |
| #2 This will continue until Israel makes clear (and is allowed to make well clear) that every Isreali dead will trigger ten deaths between the Palestinians. |
| Posted by: JFM 2003-10-4 9:44:11 AM |
| #1 18 dead now... |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-10-4 9:31:27 AM |