Friday February 25, after a suicide bomber blew himself up in Tel Aviv, killing four people and injuring up to 50 others, officials and Israeli media said.
The blast, which occurred outside the "Stage" nightclub in a crowded seaside area near the U.S. embassy, shattered a ceasefire agreed this month by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
A nightclub guard, reportedly unsuccessfully, tried to prevent the bomber of detonating his explosives. It was the first Palestinian bombing since three people were killed in a Tel Aviv open-air market on November 1. Television footage showed rescue workers rushing to the scene.
PALESTINIANS ANGRY
The Palestinian authority, which had urged militant groups to end attacks against Israel, condemned the blast. Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said it was an attempt "to sabotage the efforts being exerted to revive the peace process. [they] should not be allowed to succeed," the Reuters news agency reported.
Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, have refused to officially join the ceasefire, but have said they would observe a truce, the Voice of America (VOA) network observed.
ISLAMIC JIHAD
News reports said the apparent suicide bombing targeted the beachside nightclub shortly after 11pm. A caller claimed responsibility on behalf of Islamic Jihad. “This is a martyrdom operation that shows we are not committed to the ceasefire because Israel is continuing to kill and arrest Palestinians,” the caller was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Gideon Meir, an Israeli government spokesman, said the bombing proved the need for the Palestinian Authority to "dismantle terror groups" as stated by a U.S.-backed peace "road map" rather than try to persuade them to accept a formal truce, news reports said.
(With: reports from Israel and Palestinian territories)
