The European Union issued a statement condemning the suicide bombing that killed three people in Eilat on Monday, and criticized it as a bid to derail the fragile Middle East peace process.

Palestinian leaders must "put an end to terror and bring to justice those who support terror," Germany, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency said in a statement.

"Such attacks are aimed at innocent civilians with the goal of derailing the peace process," it added.

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The statement said the EU "strongly condemns" the bombing in a bakery in the town of Eilat, in which three people and the bomber died.

The White House condemned the suicide bombing that and said the Palestinian Authority was responsible for preventing such attacks.

"Failure to act against terror will inevitably effect relations between that government and the international community and undermine the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own," White House spokesman Tony Snow said in a statement.

The White House added that "it is important to have a negotiating partner that renounces violence, acknowledges Israel's right to exist, and will abide by all prior agreements made by previous Palestinian administrations with the Israelis."

Britain also condemned the bombing. "I utterly condemn the Eilat bombing," said British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett. "There can be no justification for such attacks."

Jordan's King Abdullah on condemned the suicide bombing as well and urged efforts by European Union countries and the G8 powers which he said were crucial for achieving "real and tangible progress" in peace talks in the region.

The monarch made the remarks during a meeting with ambassadors of the EU countries and the G8 states, an official statement from the royal court said.

"The monarch condemned the Eilat operation, saying such attacks will only increase the sufferings of the Palestinians," the statement said.

"Such operations seek to derail and sabotage efforts aimed at bridging the gap between the Palestinians and Israelis and ensuring their return to the negotiating table," the statement quoted the king as telling the envoys.

Abbas condemns bombing
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Monday condemned the suicide bombing, adding that he was opposed to all attacks that harm civilians, Israel Radio reported.

The Islamic Jihad organization said Monday that the suicide bombing, which was the first such attack in the southern resort town, was meant to help bring an end to weeks of Hamas-Fatah infighting.

But while the ruling Hamas movement backed the attack, Abbas' rival Fatah party condemned. Soon after the bombing, Fatah spokesman Ahmad Abdul Rahman condemned it, saying, "We are against any operation that targets civilians, Israelis or Palestinians."

But a spokesman for Hamas praised the bombing as a natural response to Israeli military policies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as its ongoing boycott of the Hamas-led Palestinian government - a position likely to complicate the group's current efforts to end a crippling aid boycott imposed by the international community.

"So long as there is occupation, resistance is legitimate," said Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza.

Barhoum also said attacks on Israel were preferable to the recent bout of Palestinian infighting in Gaza between his group and the more moderate Fatah. "The right thing is for Fatah weapons to be directed toward the occupation not toward Hamas," he said.

The Hamas statement echoed a declaration by Khaled al-Batsh, a senior Islamic Jihad leader, who called the attack "a natural response to the continued crimes by the Zionist enemy."

The attack came four days before the so-called Quartet of
Middle East peace negotiators were to meet in Washington as part of a renewed effort to revive Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.

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