|
Limited Damage in Jerusalem Blast
JERUSALEM, Dec. 5 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Six people have been slightly injured after an explosion set off Wednesday by a bomber outside a hotel in central Jerusalem.
According to the BBC's online news service, there was only limited damage, but that the mangled remains of the bomber could be seen lying in the road.
The explosion occurred at 7:35 a.m. (0535 GMT) at the David Citadel Hotel, formerly the Hilton, near the Jaffa Gate. This is a busy commercial area, but most office workers were still on their way to work when the explosion occurred.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Blood covered a front wall of the hotel, near the walled Old City's Jaffa Gate, and police closed the area to search for more explosives. U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni - who came to the region last month in hopes of jump-starting talks - was staying at a nearby hotel.
The blast followed two days of Israeli military strikes targeting Gaza and the West Bank. Two Palestinians were killed Tuesday, and three missiles hit 55 yards from Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat's office in the West Bank.
The strikes were justified by Israel as responses to the weekend attacks claimed by the Palestinian resistance groups Hamas and Jihad, which killed 25 people in Jerusalem and the northern port city of Haifa. Israel said its reprisals were a warning to Arafat to stop what it called "terrorism".
There were conflicting indications about what Israel might do next. Palestinians braced for further strikes and the military said it was ready to continue, but an Israeli official held out the possibility of a pause.
On Tuesday, U.S. supplied Israeli F-16 warplanes bombed a Gaza security building next to a school, killing a security officer and a 15-year-old student. Tearful classmates joined activists in the teenager's funeral procession, chanting slogans calling for revenge against Israel.
Aides said they whisked Arafat to an underground shelter Tuesday as they heard Israeli helicopters approaching his headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Israeli rockets hit a security installation in the compound, just yards away from Arafat's building.
Fearing large-scale Israeli military escalation, Arafat declared a state of emergency and arrested more than 100 Palestinian activists. Israeli officials were unimpressed and claimed the arrests were just for show.
On Monday, Israeli missiles destroyed three of Arafat's helicopters parked in a hangar in Gaza, and bulldozers tore up the runway of Gaza International Airport, a vital link to the world and a symbol of Palestinian sovereignty.
Arab foreign ministers will convene in Cairo on Sunday to discuss the "serious developments in the Palestinian territories," said Amr Moussa, the secretary-general of the Arab League. He blamed Israel for Palestinian "chaos, rage, resistance and violence."
At home, a crisis was brewing inside Sharon's own broad-based government. The Labor party, which hopes to rehabilitate ties with Arafat and resume negotiations, scheduled two meetings Wednesday to consider pulling out of the government.
Most Labor members supported military action against the Palestinians, but many were uneasy with the Cabinet's formal declaration that Arafat's regime supports resistance against occupation, implying that it has become an enemy.
On Tuesday, U.S. Embassy spokesman Paul Patin denied reports that Zinni had canceled meetings with the Palestinians because of the bomb attacks. Patin said Zinni "is still engaged with everyone."
A diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Zinni was taking time off to reconsider the situation in light of the upsurge in violence.
|
