Islamic fundamentalists have admitted causing the bomb blast close to Jerusalem's main open-air Jewish market yesterday which killed two people, including a daughter of an opposition party leader, and injured at least nine others. They have warned Israel of further attacks.
In a statement issued in Beirut, the Islamic Jihad said the bomb was "part of our response to the crimes of the enemy against our civilian Palestinian people". The statement added that "the blood of our children" would not go unavenged and told Israel to "wait for more, as we are coming, with the help of God and the determination of our people and our heroic fighters".
Ayelet HaSahar Levy, a daughter of the opposition National Religious Party leader, Rabbi Yitzhak Levy, was killed, along with a Jewish man, in the bombing, which police said was intended for the market packed with shoppers ahead of the weekend. In the same Mahane Yehuda market in July 1997, a double suicide bombing killed 15 Israelis and the two unidentified bombers, and left scores of people injured.
In other violence, two Palestinians were shot dead in clashes with Israeli troops near east Jerusalem and Bethlehem and a third Palestinian died in the Gaza Strip from injuries sustained on Wednesday.
Mr Barak and President Yasser Arafat had been due to announce the terms of their new ceasefire deal at 2 p.m. (noon Irish time) with simultaneous live broadcasts calling for an end to violence. Because of the blast, the declarations were postponed.
Israeli sources said later they were still waiting for Mr Arafat to fulfil a number of promises he made to the former prime minister, Mr Shimon Peres, in talks on Wednesday night and until this happened, Mr Barak would make no announcement.
President Arafat said last night the Palestinian Authority was opposed to the car bombing. "we are against it completely," he told reporters in Gaza. The Palestinian leader did not expand upon a statement the authority issued earlier, urging Palestinians to use peaceful means in their struggle for an independent state. A senior Palestinian official, Mr Nabil Abu Rdaineh, said the Palestinians had fulfilled their obligation in the earlier statement.
Meanwhile the European Unions' foreign policy chief, Mr Javier Solana, has urged leaders on both sides not to allow the car bomb attack to wreck their latest truce agreement, Mr Solana represented the EU at the recent peace talks in the Egyptian resort of Sharm Al-Sheikh, but the ceasefire deal brokered there failed to take hold at the time.
The acting Israeli Foreign Minister, Mr Shlomo Ben-Ami, said in New York that the explosion vindicated his government's assertion that the Palestinian Authority had given a "green light" to terrorism by releasing Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners.
Speaking to reporters after an hour-long meeting with the UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, he said Israel nevertheless would like to stick to the understandings reached at al-Sheikh, which had been "further underlined and emphasised" in the talks between Mr Peres and Mr Arafat. He said Mr Barak was travelling to the US shortly and Mr Arafat would probably arrive next week.
The Israeli cabinet decided late last night to give the Palestinian authorities 24 hours to impose an agreed ceasefire, Israeli radio reported.
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Mr Javier Solana, has urged leaders on both sides not to allow the car bomb attack to wreck their latest truce agreement. Mr Solana represented the EU at the recent peace talks in the Egyptian resort of Sharm al-Sheikh, but the ceasefire deal brokered there failed to take hold at the time.
The acting Israeli Foreign Minister, Mr Shlomo Ben-Ami, said in New York that the explosion vindicated his government's assertion that the Palestinian Authority had given a "green light" to terrorism by releasing Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners. Speaking to reporters after an hour-long meeting with the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, he said Israel nevertheless would like to stick to the understandings reached at Sharm al-Sheikh, which had been "further underlined and emphasised" in the talks between the former Israeli prime minister, Mr Shimon Peres, and Mr Arafat."We are still waiting for theChairman [Mr Arafat] to come before his people and convey a clear-cut message about the need to stop violence. We expect the Sharm memorandum to be observed the way it should have been done from the very beginning," Mr Ben-Ami added. He said Mr Barak was travelling to the US shortly and Mr Arafat would probably arrive next week, providing an opportunity for President Clinton to explore, in separate meetings, the best way to revive the peace process.The Israeli Deputy Defence Minister, Mr Ephraim Sneh, said the blast would not affect the truce agreed overnight with Mr Arafat, although he also criticised the Palestinians for releasing dozens of Islamic militants.