Palestinian knife attack in Tel Aviv: Israel blames the PA, Fatah faction claims responsibility

A 24-year old Israeli man was killed and two others wounded 

early Tuesday when a Palestinian armed with a long-bladed knife stabbed passers-by on Tel Aviv's beachfront promenade, close to Jaffa.  

The Palestinian, a 23-year-old East Jerusalem resident, was shot and arrested. According to Haaretz, he later told investigators that he was a member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades of Fatah movement.  

A few hours after the attack, a group linked to Fatah said it was behind the killing of the Israeli. "A fighter of the martyr Ali Julani's unit this morning attempted to enter a restaurant in Jaffa and clashed with its guard...leading to the killing of a settler and the wounding of others," said a faxed statement from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Reuters reported. 

The Palestinian arrived at the "Tarabin" restaurant on at around 1:30 A.M. (2230Monday GMT). Israeli police spokeswoman said the attacker struggled with a security guard and stabbed him in the neck.  

The owner of the restaurant then threw a chair at him, and the attacker began to flee along the seaside promenade, with the guard and owner in pursuit. The attacker then stabbed two more people, one of whom later died of his wounds.  

Another guard from a nearby restaurant then joined the pursuit, and one of ther guards shot the Palestinian in the leg. The guards, along with the "Tarabin" restaurant owner, restrained the man until police arrived.  

The injuries of the two wounded people were not life-threatening, the Israeli reports said.  

On his part, Israel's Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said the Palestinian Authority is not doing enough to 

fight "terror." "The Palestinians are still not acting in the realm of terror," Shalom told Army Radio. "There's maybe the beginning of sparks of activity."  

Meanwhile, Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amr said Palestinian authorities "will continue our efforts to contain these acts and to put an end to these acts." "The truce will continue," said Amr. (Albawaba.com)

© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)