TERRORISM: Suicide Bombing in Jerusalem, Sharon Targeted?

Shortly before 2am EST (9am Jerusalem) on Thursday, a suicide bombing ripped apart a bus 100 yards from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's home.

At least eight people have died, and many more are wounded, some critically.

More details as they become available in this breaking story.

Sky News
ABC News
Al Bawaba

Per eyewitnesses at the scene,
the suicide bomber may have been female. This has not yet been confirmed.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The death toll now stands at 10, including the bomber, and more than 50 injured. Many of the injuries are critical; because of this, the number of dead may rise.

According to Israel National News, the Israeli Ministers of Labor and Agriculture are calling for the expulsion of Yasser Arafat as a result of today's bus bombing.

Today marks a "prisoner swap" between Israel and the terror group Hezbollah brokered by Germany. More than 400 Hezbollah prisoners are being released in exchange for an Israeli businessman and the bodies of 3 soldiers.

Hezbollah has praised the suicide bombing.

I doubt that Sharon was targeted, especially when it was known that he wasn't home. Photos of the incident appear that the bus was at an intersection or bus stop. None-the-less, the bus was loaded.

I'm sure this will be heralded as further "justification" for the "occupation".
Be assured, Israel will strike back.
Interesting that Syria has been "Occupying" Lebanon for over 20 years, despite UN resolutions, despite calls to withdraw and return sovereignty back to Lebanon, but hey, , don't see those "justified", "martyred" terrorists attacking Syria, now do we? Double

Oh, aren't or isn't Israel and the PA/PLO/PLA supposed to be exchanges prisoners, like, real soon? One live Israel prisoner and 3 dead and over 400 live Palestinian "martyr" wanna-be's militants/terrorist inductees? Good will gesture and move and yet, we see the response.....as of now, 10 dead and almost a hundred wounded....



regards
seekerof

[Edited on 29-1-2004 by Seekerof]

This is par for the course. I posted in another thread once that any time any concessions are made on the Israeli side (for example releasing 400 men in exchange for some bones in a box and one shady character) an incident like this happens.

GET THE FOLLOWING THROUGH YOUR HEADS ALREADY

These are not isolated incidents that one person does by him/herself. This is carefully timed for a reason. What reason? So that the Israelis will say "why should we give concessions if this is the response?" As soon as they say that suddenly the "world community" can restart their criticism of Israel. Why is this necessary? Because an Israel who is making concessions and giving up prisoners and/or land is not an Israel that assists the Palestinian cause.

This isn't rocket science, try to understand it.

It has since been determined that the bomber was a Palestinian police officer from Bethlehem.

In response to the suicide attack, Israeli troops are now entering the Palestinian controlled city of Bethlehem.
They are demolishing the bomber's house and searching out other militants.

The bombing has been claimed by the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a military wing of Yasser Arafat's Fatah organization. Fatah has ruling majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council.

Reuters Link

Weird, last night at about 2AM i saw the cnn ticker carrying the story that it was hamas that claimed responsibility. I guess it doesn't really matter, similar groups, same goals.

I think Colin Powell's comments really sum things up.

"Once again, terrorists have killed innocent people, and at the same time they have struck a blow once more against the aspirations of the Palestinian people to have a homeland of their own," U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said. "This kind of action has got to stop."

That's all that the brainless imbecile accomplished.

I wonder if anyone would be offended if I open an exhibit at an art museum in nyc with a picture of this latest bomber on a boat floating around in a toilet since that's where he helped send the benefits that could've been reaped from the prisoner exchange.

He targeted non mulsims.

yes thinker that usually is the pattern. i don't recall hearing much about islamic extremists targeting other muslims.

I did enjoy the humorous comments of Mr. Erekat:

Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat condemned the raid. "Instead of sending soldiers and tanks to Bethlehem, Israel's government should have sent negotiators to resume a meaningful peace process," he said.

See, the negotiators were sent and 400 palestinian's who had been arrested for plotting the murder of israelis were released. The negotiators did their job. They made a deal for a prisoner exchange. Something like this (which has been a palestinian demand for ages) should have made progress. Mr. Erekat fails to understand the "been there, done that" doctrine. Israel did the negotiating bit, and the "good-faith" response on the Palestinian side was the bombing of the bus. At this point it's almost funny that he said that.