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Three
Killed, Dozens Wounded In Jerusalem Explosion
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| Soldiers
tend to a victim of the bomb blast in Jerusalem. |
JERUSALEM,
March 21 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – At least three people
were killed and dozens wounded when a Palestinian activist blew
himself up in the centre of west Jerusalem late Thursday, then
Israeli forces detained "several suspects".
A
Palestinian activist blew himself up in a crowded street in the
centre of the city, killing himself and at least two Israelis.
Several
minutes after the blast, an AFP journalist on the scene said he saw
at least one person being led away handcuffed in a police car.
According
to Israeli daily newspaper Ha’aretz, 40 people were evacuated to
Jerusalem's four hospitals. At least seven people were in critical
condition, seven suffered serious injuries and a further 30 suffered
moderate or light injuries.
Israeli
police and ambulances swarmed to the scene of the explosion, closing
off the area and evacuating the wounded.
The
blast occurred near the junction of King George Street and Jaffa
Road, in the heart of west Jerusalem, the scene of repeated
Palestinian operations.
Witnesses
said the attack, the second in as many days, took place near the
Aroma coffee shop.
It
comes hours after Israeli and Palestinian security chiefs failed to
agree on how to reach a ceasefire after 18 months of Palestinian
resistance to the Israeli occupation.
Palestinian
resistance groups vowed to continue attacking Israeli targets, as
long as Israel’s Sharon refused to give up his hard-line policies
against the Paledstinian people under occupation.
As
ceasefire efforts continued, the Israeli army abducted dozens of
Palestinians in overnight raids in the West Bank.
Israeli
tanks entered three villages around Jenin in Sector A, which is
meant to be entirely under Palestinian Authority control.
According
to BBC’s online news service, the front of the shop had been blown
out and debris was strewn all over the street.
A
caller to Agence France-Presse (AFP) claimed responsibility on
behalf of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which carried out the bulk
of anti-Israeli attacks in recent weeks.
Mohammed
Hashikeh, 22, from Taluza, north of Nablus in the West Bank, carried
out the attack to avenge the death of two Palestinians killed by the
Israeli army, the caller said.
Meanwhile,
a joint security meeting between senior Israeli and Palestinian
officials, scheduled to take place Thursday evening, was cancelled
after the Jerusalem bomb blast, security officials from both sides
said.
Immediately
after the blast, a government spokesman told reporters Israel was
assessing whether to push ahead with truce talks with the
Palestinian Authority, scheduled for Thursday evening.
"This
is the second suicide bombing in the last two days and, obviously,
we have to assess the situation," said Arieh Meckel, who added
that Israel's security chiefs were already meeting to discuss the
aftermath of the blast.
On
Wednesday, the Palestinian Authority called on Palestinians to
"refrain from carrying out any operations against civilians
inside Israel".
The
Palestinian leadership issued the statement after a Palestinian blew
himself up on a bus in northern Israel, killing himself and seven
Israelis, including four soldiers.
Speaking
hours before the Jerusalem blast, U.S. President George W Bush said
he was "disappointed" with Yasser Arafat's efforts to rein
in activists.
"He,
Mr Arafat, needs to do everything in his power to stop the
violence," Bush told reporters in Washington.
The
latest attack came shortly before U.S. Middle East peace envoy
Anthony Zinni was due to meet Israeli and Palestinian officials for
the second time in 24 hours to try to arrange a truce.
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