HEADLINES FROM THE HEBREW PRESS

HA’ARETZ 1. First terrorist attack since cease-fire. FOUR KILLED AND 50 WOUNDED IN SUICIDE ATTACK AT TEL AVIV CLUB; DM: SYRIA RESPONSIBLE. The response: Israel to refrain from against Palestinian Authority. The responsibility: Islamic Jihad group – we carried out attack. Abu Mazen: PA Chmn. sharply condemned attack and demanded arrests. Syria: Damascus denies accusations – Jihad offices in capital closed. HATZOFEH 1. Disengagement war: Four murdered and 50 wounded in Shabbat eve terrorist attack in Tel Aviv. Harsh Israeli reaction: Declarations, statements, words, threats and verbiage. Sharon government promises to learn nothing: Process of expelling Gush Katif Jews to continue. VICTIMS OF THE GESTURES. This was almost certain result of dramatic decline in arrests of terrorists last month and lifting of closures on villages – all in context of gestures to Abu Mazen: Suicide terrorist succeeded in reaching Tel Aviv on Shabbat eve, along with assistant who led him, stood in line at promenade club, and exploded. Mofaz ordered freeze on transfer of Judean and Samarian cities to PA. 2. ISRAEL: SYRIA TO BLAME – MUST NOT RESPOND IN MANNER THAT WILL CAUSE ESCALATION. 3. GIDEON EZRA’S INCITEMENT: DISENGAGEMENT OPONENTS TO BLAME. MA’ARIV 1. Promenade horror: Four killed and 50 wounded. Israel decides to resume activity against Jihad. ILLUSION OF QUIET. On Shabbat eve, at entrance to Tel Aviv club ‘The Stage’, four-month-old cease-fire exploded. Islamic Jihad HQ in Damascus takes responsibility. YEDIOT AHRONOT 1. Terrorism returns after months of calm. THE QUIET EXPLODED. Dozens of friends from reserve unit were waiting in club for surprise birthday party for Yaron Gribsky when terrorist detonated himself. (…). Bloody price: Three soldiers from the unit and girlfriend of additional soldier. 2. The hudna. “ARRANGEMENT WITH TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS HAS FAILED.” Sharon to Abu Mazen: No alternative to violent confrontation with terrorists. 3. The response. IDF TO ACT FREELY AGAINST [ISLAMIC] JIHAD. Transfer of cities to Palestinians postponed until further notice. ______________________________ SUMMARY OF EDITORIALS FROM THE HEBREW PRESS Both papers comment on last Friday evening’s deadly suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, in which four Israelis were murdered and 50 were wounded: Yediot Ahronot believes that the terrorist attack was aimed just as much at the Palestinian Authority as it was against Israel, and suggests that PA Chairman Abu Mazen and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon now have common cause against the extremist terrorist organizations that want to wreck the budding peace process. The editors are encouraged by the PA’s condemnations of the attack but caution that unless Abu Mazen wants to see the PA areas become a second Iraq he must take strong and quick action, adding that, “Abu Mazen will receive enough time to deal with those who use terrorism and with the terrorist nests in the territories, but not unlimited time.” Hatzofeh asserts that: “Here are the facts. The Palestinians perpetrated the racist mass-murder in the heart of Tel Aviv. The organization that perpetrated [the attack] was a Palestinian organization, [and] the murder was Palestinian. But we, with the idiocy that characterizes the Sharon government, are accusing Syria. Why? Because this enables us to continue to shut our eyes and continue with the stupid and wicked policy of expelling the Jews from Gush Katif.” BPI-info