Seven killed in Jerusalem terror attack
Second attack in city in two days; Bush speech on hold
June 19, 2002 Posted: 1:45 PM EDT (1745 GMT)
JERUSALEM  -- Seven people were killed Wednesday evening when a suicide bomber set off a blast at a bus stop in the French Hill neighborhood of northeast Jerusalem, Israeli police said. 

Ambulance services said 37 people were wounded. 

According to authorities, border policemen approached a suspect at the crowded Jerusalem bus stop. As they drew near, he set off the blast. 

"It is another carnage, another brutal attack on innocent people who were standing, waiting for a bus," said Israeli government spokesman Arye Mekel. 

He said the intersection had been the scene of attacks in the past and there is a military presence there around the clock. 

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Israeli television, quoting sources in Gaza. The group, a military offshoot of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department. 

It was the second terror attack in Jerusalem in two days. 

On Tuesday, 19 people were killed and more than 50 wounded when a suicide bomber detonated his charge on a bus. The Islamic militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for that attack, according to Hamas sources in Gaza. (Full story) 

In Washington, President Bush's speech on the Middle East was "on hold" because of the latest suicide bombing, the White House said. The speech had been planned for late this week, possibly Thursday.
(Full story) 

In a related development, Palestinian officials said the Palestinian Authority was dropping its demand for the right of return for Palestinian refugees -- one of the major stumbling blocks to a Middle East peace deal.
(Full story) 

Israel to seize land until terror attacks stop
In response to the Tuesday attack, the Israeli government said early Wednesday it will respond to acts of terror by seizing Palestinian Authority territory and holding it "as long as terror continues." 

The announcement of "a change in the way Israel responds to murderous acts of terror" came after a late-night meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and top government officials. 

The Israeli government "decided to take several military actions against the Palestinian Authority and the murderous organizations," a statement from Sharon's office said. 

"Israel will respond to acts of terror by capturing P.A. [Palestinian Authority] territory. These areas will be held by Israel as long as terror continues," the statement said. "Additional acts of terror will lead to the taking of additional areas. As a result of yesterday's murderous act of terror in Jerusalem, Israel will shortly take P.A. territory as outlined above." 

Israeli military activity was reported in several areas overnight: 
 

In the West Bank town of Jenin, Israeli tanks and armored vehicles -- backed by fighter jets and helicopters -- rolled into the area and exchanged fire with Palestinians, according to Israel Defense Forces and Palestinian sources. The sources said the Israeli troops took up positions near the center of the town and on the outskirts of the Jenin refugee camp. The IDF arrested four Palestinians suspected of terrorist activities. Israel believes Jenin is a center for terrorists. 
 

Also in the West Bank, IDF went into Nablus and arrested three suspected Islamic militants before leaving the city. Similar operations were reported in other West Bank cities, with Israeli troops arresting three Palestinians in Hebron and three near Bethlehem, and conducting sweeps looking for terror suspects in Qalqilya. 
 

In Gaza, Palestinian sources said Israeli tanks fired shells near Gaza City, wounding seven Palestinians, including two children. 

Nabil Sha'ath, a top adviser to Arafat, condemned the Israeli reoccupation of West Bank territory, calling it "straightforward invasion and aggression." 

"Israel is keeping Palestinians trapped in a revolving door of reoccupation," said Sha'ath, currently in Washington. 

Sha'ath met with several White House officials Tuesday, including National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, to discuss Palestinian peace proposals and efforts to reform the Palestinian Authority. 

Another Palestinian official said the Israeli strategy is "not new policy" and called on the international community for help. 

"The only way out of it is an initiative to come from the international community led by the United States ... with some political weight behind such initiatives in order to enforce it," said Ghassan Khatib, the Palestinian labor minister. 

After Tuesday's terror attack in Jerusalem, a videotape was released showing the bomber, identified as Mohammed al-Ghoul, pledging allegiance to the Palestinian intifada. Al-Ghoul was a student of Islamic studies at al-Najah University in Nablus. 

Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department. Its military wing has carried out terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians as well as attacks on Israeli military. 

Meanwhile, Palestinian gunmen Wednesday shot at Israeli construction workers installing a fence to separate Israel from the West Bank, the IDF said. IDF reported no casualties and said its forces pursued the attackers away from the attack site, close to the Salem checkpoint, near Jenin. 

Israel is putting up the fence as a barrier to suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks based in Palestinian territories.