A double suicide bombing, the second deadly Palestinian attack in as many days, prompted a freeze Thursday on any further easing of the tight restrictions the Israeli army has placed on Palestinians in the West Bank.
The three people killed in the blasts were one Israeli and two foreign workers. One of the foreign workers killed has been identified as Adrian Andres, 30, from Romania, Israel Radio reported. The radio added that the third victim is of Southeast Asian nationality.
An Israeli government spokesman said the plans for talks with moderate Palestinians remained on hold after the new bloodshed. The meetings were aimed at building on talks held last week -- the first high-level contacts between the sides in four months.
"Right now the talks are suspended. How can you have talks when you are burying your dead?" said Ra'anan Gissin, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Referring to the decision not to scale back the curfews and closures in force in the West Bank, he added: "You cannot ease restrictions on travel when there are attack alerts."
"The delay in the meetings means Israel wants to delay any action to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people and to increase oppression, destruction and economic pressure and occupation that breeds attacks, explosions and an escalation in violence," said Palestinian cabinet minister Nabil Shaath.
Meanwhile, Israeli troops arrested Mohammed Sharif El-Rub, a senior Islamic Jihad activist in the village of Qabatia near the West Bank city of Jenin on Thursday. According to Palestinian sources, Israeli troops stormed into the village, surrounded El-Rub's house before bursting in and capturing him. There were no injuries reported in the incident.
It should be recalled that a telephone caller to news agencies, who said he was from Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s bombing bombing attack in Tel Aviv.
Also on Thursday, Israeli soldiers were still searching for two or three of the Palestinians who attacked a bus in Emmanuel settlement killing eight people on Tuesday. Soldiers were combing the Kana riverbed near the settlement and the West Bank city of Nablus, where the Palestinians are believed to be hiding, Israel Radio reported.
In Gaza Strip, a mosque under construction collapsed Thursday killing two Palestinians and wounding 15, media reports said. The reason for the collapse in Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah was under investigation. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
