Post by Salem6 on Feb 22, 2004 10:18:00 GMT
A suicide bomber has killed at least seven people and injured dozens in an attack on an Israeli bus in Jerusalem.
The explosion ripped through the crowded vehicle at the height of the city's morning rush hour.
Hundreds of emergency service workers are at the scene
It came a short time after Israel began dismantling a small section of its controversial security barrier in the West Bank.
On Monday, hearings begin at the International Court of Justice in The Hague into the legality of the project.
The blast occurred on the number 14 bus in the German Colony residential area of west Jerusalem at about 0830 local time (0630GMT) as it was waiting at traffic lights near a petrol station.
Police spokesman Gil Kleiman said seven people had been killed, in addition to the bomber.
The BBC's James Reynolds, from the scene of the bombing, says dozens of emergency workers arrived quickly and began carrying out well-practiced routines.
It is just three weeks since 11 people died in the suicide bombing of a bus in Jerusalem just a few hundred yards from the site of this latest attack.
US intervention urged
Israeli officials said the latest blast proved the need for its security barrier.
"We are showing everyone that a security fence is not just Israel's obligation, but also its right," said foreign ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled.
"We are letting the victims of terror speak for us at The Hague."
Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said he condemned the attack and urged the US "to step up its efforts to revive the peace process".
Hundreds of Israelis have been killed in suicide bombings since the Palestinian uprising began more than three years ago.
More than 2,700 Palestinians have been killed during the same period.
The Palestinians say Israel's security barrier amounts to a land grab because it dips deep into the West Bank in some areas, and disrupts the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinians.
The section of the barrier that Israel has begun dismantling separates a Palestinian village - Baka al-Sharqiya - from the rest of the West Bank and has proved particularly controversial. The section is likely to be re-routed.
The blast occurred at rush hour on Sunday - a busy day in Israel, where the working week runs from Sunday to Thursday.
The bomb blew out seats and windows on the number 14 bus, which was travelling through west Jerusalem.
Emergency workers rushed to the area, to put into practise the all-too-familiar co-ordinated response to such tragedies.
Several people are reported to have died, and dozens have been injured, many seriously.
The casualties have been taken away, and the clear-up operation has begun.
The blast happened in the German Colony area, where many foreigners live.
The explosion ripped through the crowded vehicle at the height of the city's morning rush hour.
Hundreds of emergency service workers are at the scene
It came a short time after Israel began dismantling a small section of its controversial security barrier in the West Bank.
On Monday, hearings begin at the International Court of Justice in The Hague into the legality of the project.
The blast occurred on the number 14 bus in the German Colony residential area of west Jerusalem at about 0830 local time (0630GMT) as it was waiting at traffic lights near a petrol station.
Police spokesman Gil Kleiman said seven people had been killed, in addition to the bomber.
The BBC's James Reynolds, from the scene of the bombing, says dozens of emergency workers arrived quickly and began carrying out well-practiced routines.
It is just three weeks since 11 people died in the suicide bombing of a bus in Jerusalem just a few hundred yards from the site of this latest attack.
US intervention urged
Israeli officials said the latest blast proved the need for its security barrier.
"We are showing everyone that a security fence is not just Israel's obligation, but also its right," said foreign ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled.
"We are letting the victims of terror speak for us at The Hague."
Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said he condemned the attack and urged the US "to step up its efforts to revive the peace process".
Hundreds of Israelis have been killed in suicide bombings since the Palestinian uprising began more than three years ago.
More than 2,700 Palestinians have been killed during the same period.
The Palestinians say Israel's security barrier amounts to a land grab because it dips deep into the West Bank in some areas, and disrupts the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinians.
The section of the barrier that Israel has begun dismantling separates a Palestinian village - Baka al-Sharqiya - from the rest of the West Bank and has proved particularly controversial. The section is likely to be re-routed.
The blast occurred at rush hour on Sunday - a busy day in Israel, where the working week runs from Sunday to Thursday.
The bomb blew out seats and windows on the number 14 bus, which was travelling through west Jerusalem.
Emergency workers rushed to the area, to put into practise the all-too-familiar co-ordinated response to such tragedies.
Several people are reported to have died, and dozens have been injured, many seriously.
The casualties have been taken away, and the clear-up operation has begun.
The blast happened in the German Colony area, where many foreigners live.