Sharon vows broad offensive after bombing

JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has vowed an open-ended offensive against Palestinian militants and Israeli aircraft struck the Gaza Strip after a suicide bomber killed five Israelis.

The bombing in the coastal city of Hadera dealt a serious blow to an eight-month-old truce and international hopes for a revival of peacemaking after Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip last month.

Sharon said there could be no advance toward peace for now because of the "absolute failure of the Palestinian Authority in the fight against terrorism" as he promised to launch a major military operation.

"Our action will be broad and will not stop until it brings about a cessation of terrorism," Sharon said ahead of a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Tel Aviv.

Sharon had agreed to an offensive in the northern West Bank against Islamic Jihad, which claimed responsibility for the bombing to avenge the killing of a top commander on Monday, security sources said.

No timetable was given for the West Bank offensive amid the worst flare-up of violence since Israel left Gaza last month after 38 years of occupation. Israeli aircraft launched six missile strikes on the Gaza Strip, saying they were to stop rocket fire from the territory. There were no casualties.

Troops arrested the 20-year-old bomber's father in the northern West Bank on Thursday. Another nine suspected Islamic militants were held.

MARKET BOMBER

The suicide bomber blew himself up in front of a sandwich stand in the main outdoor market in Hadera, a frequent target of attacks in a 5-year-old Palestinian uprising. Five people were killed and more than 30 wounded.

The attack was the first bombing in the Jewish state since August 28, when a suicide bomber wounded 20 people in Beersheba.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the bombing and pledged to try to salvage the truce he agreed to earlier this year.

"It harms the interest of the Palestinian people and leads to expansion of the cycle of violence," he said.

Israel, which suspended security contacts after three young Jewish settlers were killed in a West Bank ambush last week, canceled a meeting between the Israeli and Palestinian transport ministers.

Israeli officials noted the attack followed remarks in Tehran by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Israel should be "wiped off the map".

The army imposed a closure on the occupied West Bank and shut Gaza Strip crossings, restricting even the handful of Palestinians who occasionally get permits to enter Israel.

Islamic Jihad, sworn to Israel's destruction, had vowed revenge after Israeli troops shot dead West Bank commander Loai Assadi, the most senior militant killed since the truce began.

Israel and the United States said the Palestinian Authority needed to rein in militants to push forward stalled peace talks. Abbas has so far preferred to negotiate with armed groups.

Leaders from Islamic Jihad and several other militant groups in Gaza rejoiced at news of the bombing and vowed to continue responding to Israeli attacks against Palestinians despite the ceasefire.

Asked about Abbas's condemnation of the bombing, an Islamic Jihad spokesman said: "Anyone who criticises the resistance is a violator of the national consensus and stands beside the enemy."

- REUTERS