The suicide bomb attack in Jerusalem prevents any talks on an international peace plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman said.
"It's all very well to talk about a roadmap, but roadmaps go nowhere while Israeli citizens are not able to drive in safety on their own roads to go to their workplace or to school," spokesman Mr Ron Prosor said, referring to the so-called "roadmap" to peace document.
The document, which calls for an unequivocal commitment by Israel to an independent Palestinian state, is to be discussed by UN chief Mr Kofi Annan, US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell, Russian Foreign Minister Mr Igor Ivanov, EU foreign policy chief Mr Javier Solana and foreign relations commissioner Mr Chris Patten next month.
The plan calls for a Palestinian state with provisional borders by next year and definitive ones by 2005. It also calls for an end to Palestinian attacks and an Israeli army withdrawal from reoccupied Palestinian cities.
Apart from the suicide bomber, at least 10 people were killed and 45 injured when the bomb went off aboard a bus in west Jerusalem.
"It's not the question of the blame game. It's the question of a society waking up again and again and again, every morning, to terror activities. This cannot go on," said Mr Prosor.
"As long as this terror doesn't stop, one cannot reasonably think that we can continue in a political dialogue," he said.
AFP