Suicide bomber kills two Israelis in blow to truce

NETANYA, Israel - A Palestinian suicide bomber killed two people at an Israeli shopping mall and an explosives-rigged car blew up in a Jewish settlement, dealing heavy blows to a tottering five-month-old truce.

An Islamic Jihad unit claimed the suicide attack -- the first for nearly four months -- on the coastal city of Netanya, a frequent target during a Palestinian uprising. The blast came less than an hour after the blast at Shavei Shomron settlement.

Violence has fallen sharply since Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared a ceasefire in February, though the truce has been punctured by Israeli raids as well as militant shootings and mortar attacks.

A new surge of bloodshed could complicate Israel's plan to withdraw from the occupied Gaza Strip, due to start next month and seen as a possible spur to peacemaking.

Abbas condemned the bombing as "idiotic", especially given the Gaza withdrawal plan, and vowed to punish the planners. Israel repeated its demand for him to dismantle the armed factions, words echoed by the White House.

Black-clad suicide bomber Ahmed Abu Khalil, an 18-year-old student, said in a farewell video: "We reiterate our commitment to calm, but we have to retaliate for Israeli violations."

The same cell of Jihad, which is committed to destroying the Jewish state, killed five Israelis in a February 25 bombing in Tel Aviv. But that was before it and other factions agreed to follow a "period of calm" to the end of the year.

FAMILIAR SCENES

The bomber blew himself up on a pedestrian crossing at the entrance to the mall in Netanya. Israeli media said two women were killed. Two young women who had been wounded lay side by side, clothes singed and faces streaked with blood.

Police and ultra-Orthodox Jewish rescue workers picked through body parts in a scene that Israelis had begun to hope they had put behind them. More than 30 people were wounded.

"I saw before me the smoke and parts of bodies flying in the air," Mayor Miriam Fierberg. "People around the world who judge and criticise Israel should come and see who is the victim here and who is murdering women and children."

The mall was a few hundred metres (yards) from the Park Hotel, scene of the deadliest bombing of the Intifada, which killed 30 people in March 2002 and prompted a massive Israeli offensive.

Explosives blew up in a car in the town of Shavei Shomron but failed to ignite gas canisters inside. Only the driver was hurt and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Condemning the Netanya bombing, Abbas said "those who were behind it must be working against our people's interest and must be punished." He said no "rational Palestinian" could plan such an attack while Israel was preparing to quit settlements.

Sharon aide Raanan Gissin said "there is one main lesson to be drawn here, and that is that with terrorist organisations, you don't talk, you don't sign agreements. You fight them."

The White House said Abbas must dismantle militant groups. So far he has preferred to use negotiations to win them over.

The biggest Islamic militant group Hamas called the bombing a "natural response to crimes by the occupation."

The army sealed off the West Bank town of Tulkarm and top Israeli defence officials met to discuss their response.

Any widespread resurgence of violence could complicate Israel's plan to withdraw settlers from the occupied Gaza Strip and a little of the northern West Bank, starting next month. Israeli officials said it would go ahead as planned.

Western countries hope the withdrawal could lead to renewed talks on a "road map" for Palestinian statehood, but Sharon has said there will be no peace talks until militants are disarmed.

The plan calls for Palestinians to dismantle militant groups, while Israel is meant to freeze settlement building. Neither side has met its commitments.

Palestinians fear the withdrawal plan will give them tiny, impoverished Gaza, while Israel strengthens its hold on much bigger West Bank settlements enclosed in a barrier it says can keep out bombers. Palestinian call the barrier a land-grab.

The Netanya bomber appeared to have evaded those defences.

- REUTERS