Suicide Blast Injures 5; Brothers Slain in Palestinian Village

A 17-year-old suicide bomber evaded tight Israeli security and came within a few blocks of Jerusalem’s crowded downtown business district Tuesday before blowing himself up and injuring five people standing near a falafel stand.

Adding to Israelis’ uncertainty, two brothers who lived in a Jewish settlement near the West Bank city of Nablus were gunned down while doing business in a nearby Palestinian village. The head of Israel’s security service also testified that an estimated 60 attacks are being planned by Palestinian militants against the Jewish state.

Taken together, the day’s events were sure to add to the angst among Israelis, who have grown both wary and weary of Palestinian attacks, particularly suicide bombings.

Tuesday’s bombing was the first such attack since July 17, when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in Tel Aviv, killing five people. That attack came nearly a month after 19 people riding a packed commuter bus were killed in Jerusalem. The June 18 incident caused the Israeli army to reoccupy seven of the eight major Palestinian cities, turning residents into virtual prisoners.

The latest bombing also served notice that the intense security network in Jerusalem remains far from foolproof. The bomber, who lived in the Palestinian village of Beit Jala just a few miles away, might have continued walking downtown were it not for the fact that he passed the Yemenite Falafel Center on busy Haneviim Street. The stand is a popular spot for police officers taking a break. One policeman, Sgt. Ofir Yona, said he made eye contact with the bomber, identified as Majed Atta, as he was walking past the stand.

“He definitely spotted us,” Yona said. “Definitely.”

The bomb detonated almost immediately, and there was some speculation by police that it might have gone off prematurely. Five people near the stand, located on the edge of an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood, were injured.

Yona said the bomber did nothing to cause suspicion, was dressed neatly and did not seem nervous. Police said Atta was a member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a militia affiliated with the Fatah movement of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat.

The Israeli brothers were shot and killed while selling diesel fuel to a cement factory in a Palestinian village. According to witnesses, Shlomo Odesar, 60, and his brother Mordechai, 52, were ambushed by hooded gunmen. The attack occurred so quickly that the brothers, who were armed with a semiautomatic weapon, did not have time to respond.

The brothers were engaged in business in the Palestinian village despite the deep animosity between residents of Tappuah, the settlement where they lived, and their Palestinian neighbors.

On Monday, a couple living in Itamar, another Jewish settlement in the West Bank, were slightly wounded by a Palestinian who broke into their home and stabbed them. The intruder was killed by security forces.

The events of the last several days have led to more accusations that Arafat is unable to control his people.

The testimony of General Security Service director Avi Dichter only added to the sense of gloom. Testifying before Ramon’s committee, Dichter warned of an impending wave of bombing attacks. He said the internal security agency was aware of an estimated 60 bomb plots, not counting 12 that were foiled last week.