09936

06/10/2002
EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-09936

SUICIDE BOMBING CONTINUES

On June 5^th, an Israeli civilian bus was making its daily trip from Tiberias to Tel Aviv. On board were fifty-three people -- Jews, Arabs, soldiers, and civilians. As the bus made its way through heavy traffic near the city of Megiddo, a car pulled alongside and exploded. The blast killed seventeen people, including the suicide bomber. Some of the victims were trapped inside and burned alive. At least three dozen others were wounded. The Palestine Islamic Jihad terrorist group claimed responsibility for the murders.

"These terrorists are the worst enemies, not only of the people of Israel who seek peace, but also of the Palestinian people and their hopes for a better life," said President George W. Bush. Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair said it was "impossible to understand how anyone with any cause could engage in such terrorist acts."

The bombing at Megiddo is the latest of more than sixty suicide attacks against Israelis carried out by Palestinian terrorists since September 2000. Terrorism and related violence have since killed nearly five-hundred Israelis and more than one-thousand three-hundred Palestinians.

And the terrorists appear to be trying to increase the destructiveness of their attacks. Last month, terrorists bombed a tank truck at a large fuel depot in a densely populated area of Tel Aviv. Had the fire reached the large fuel reserves stored there, thousands of Israeli civilians could have been killed.

Victimized, too, are the Palestinians. Efforts to bring about a Palestinian state at peace with Israel are being undermined with every terrorist act.

The Palestinian Authority must act decisively to suppress the terrorists operating from its territory. As White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said, "In regard to the homicide bombing in Israel . . . President [George W. Bush] condemns this brutal attack in the strongest possible terms. The attack underscores the need for the Palestinian Authority to create a security force that can stop and prevent these attacks. The attack also underscores the importance of efforts by the United States and the international community to realize President Bush's vision for the region as outlined in his April 4^th speech -- two states living side by side in peace and security."