In Israel on Wednesday, a young Palestinian suicide bomber killed at least 20 and wounded about 170 guests who were celebrating a Jewish holiday. The attack took place at the Park Hotel in the coastal city of Netanya, north of Tel Aviv, at 7:20 Wednesday, as Israelis were sitting down to celebrate the traditional Passover dinner.
The explosion went off in the packed hotel dining room. The suicide bomber, wearing glasses and a black coat, walked into the hotel about 7:15 and headed for the dining room, in which the guests were sitting down to the festive meal. Minutes later he exploded. Dozens of hotel guests were killed or injured, including numerous children. Televised pictures broadcast from the scene show that the hotel lobby had been completely destroyed in the blast.
The Islamic Resistance Group Hamas has taken responsibility for the attack, identifying the bomber as 25 year old Abdel Baset Odeh, from the West Bank town of Tulkarem. The Associated Press reported that Odeh had worked in the past in Netanya hotels. Palestinian security sources told CNN that Odeh had been on a list of wanted Hamas members, and had been sought after by both Israel and the Palestinians.
One day before the attack, Hamas had released a communiqué calling on the leaders of the Arab countries, who met at an Arab Summit in Beirut Wednesday, to halt all dialogue with Israel, renew the Arab boycott, and back Palestinian resistance until the full liberation of Palestine. A key item on the agenda of the Arab leaders’ summit is the Saudi Peace Initiative, which contrary to the views of Hamas calls for normalization of relations between all Arab countries and Israel in return for an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders.
Given the clear intention of Hamas to push for more confrontation, an attack was felt to be imminent. Passover is an important Jewish holiday, and Jewish families congregate in large numbers to celebrate the traditional Passover dinner together. Israeli security authorities had been anxious about an attack in such circumstances, and had taken intense measures, including roadblocks and searches.
These measures all turned out to be of no avail. Despite roadblocks and Israeli army checkpoints along the route from the West Bank to the coastal town, and despite an armed security guard posted at the entrance to the hotel, the young Palestinian suicide bomber managed to make his way into the packed hotel dining room and deliver his message of destruction.
Netanya is an important center of tourism, offering several hotels along its Mediterranean beaches. The town lies close to the Palestinian town of Kalkilyah, and has been the location of several deadly Palestinian bombings and shooting attacks over the past months of conflict.
