By Ryan Jones
Apr 17, 2006
The Hamas rulers of the Palestinian Authority Monday publicly supported as an "act of self defense" the brutal murder of nine Israelis by a Palestinian Arab "suicide" bomber in southern Tel Aviv.
At least 60 people were wounded, many badly, in the explosion, which targeted civilians gathered at a popular eating establishment just outside Tel Aviv's old central bus station in the Neve Sha'anan neighborhood. The location has become a new favorite target of "Palestinian" bombers.
The successful attack came despite a full military closure on the PA-controlled areas to protect Israel's Jews from such atrocities during the Passover holiday.
Security officials described the bomb as "very large," and images of damaged buildings on Israeli TV attested to the tremendous force of the blast.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a close ally of Hamas, claimed credit for the bloody massacre.
In March, Hamas Interior Minister Saed Siyam told Reuters that no member of any of the various "Palestinian" terror groups would be punished under his regime for killing Israelis.
"The day will never come when any Palestinian would be arrested because of his political affiliation or because of resisting the occupation."
Following that statement, defense officials reported a marked rise in attempted "suicide" bombings. The number of terror warnings spiked to over 80 just before the start of Passover last week.
An impotent PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas issued a statement condemning the damage Monday's bombing had done to the "Palestinian cause." He expressed no sympathy for the Jewish victims.
Assured that the PA will do nothing to bring those responsible for the slaughter to justice or prevent additional attacks, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned Israel "will know how to respond."