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A Palestinian boy handing out sweets to celebrate the suicide attack on Dimona. (Reuters)
Last update - 06:59 05/02/2008
U.S. condemns Dimona attack, PM vows 'relentless' war on terror
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies
Tags: suicide bombing, Gaza, Israel 

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert pledged Monday that Israel will not relent in its struggle against terrorism, after a suicide bombing in the southern town of Dimona earlier in the day. The United States issued a statement Monday condemning the attack and urging the Palestinian Authority to redouble its efforts to counter terrorism.

Addressing the Knesset, Olmert said that Israel is facing a constant war in the southern part of the country, referring to Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. Israel believes the suicide bombers infiltrated into Israel from Egypt after crossing from Gaza into Egypt.

Referring to the attack in Dimona, Olmert said, "It was a very harsh incident that only points again to the complexity that we deal with daily. I have said more than once in the past few weeks that a constant war is being conducted in the south of the country, a war of terror against us and our war against terror, this war will continue, terrorism will be hit. We will not relent."
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"We extend condolences to the family of the innocent victim killed in this brutal attack and wish those wounded a rapid recovery," the White House statement said.

"We also condemn those terrorist groups, including Hamas, which condone these horrific actions. We call upon the leaders of the Palestinian Authority, who condemned this attack, to redouble their efforts to act against terrorism," the statement continued.

Hours after the deadly suicide bombing in the southern town of Dimona, the town's mayor said Defense Minister Ehud Barak promised him that a security fence would be constructed along the Egyptian border by 2010.

Dimona Mayor Meir Cohen said that the defense minister had passed the message to him while visiting the site of the attack.

Cohen added: "The euphoria of Negev town, who thought it wouldn't happen to us, has ended."

Shas Chairman Eli Yishai called on the government Monday to cease negotiations with the Palestinian Authority immediately, following the attack which left a woman dead and 11 more people wounded.

Yishai, who serves as Industry, Trade and Labor Minister, also called on the state to resume control of the Philadelphi Route.

"The government's previous decision to abandon the Philadelphi Route without supervising forces was a serious mistake. The southwest border of Israel is exposed and breached," he said.

The minister urged the government to allocate funds for the construction of a security fence at the Egyptian border, adding: "Instead of dealing with negotiations, we should be dealing with defense."

The suicide bombers entered Israel from Egypt, an infiltration made possible after Gaza militants blew up the Gaza-Egypt border wall two weeks ago, a Palestinian militant said hours after the blast.

President Shimon Peres telephoned Cohen on Monday afternoon and told him he wished to give strength to the city's residents, and expressed his grief for the victims of the attack.

In a statement he issued, Peres said: "The attack in Dimona was carried out by despicable terrorists who want to murder innocent women and children, at the same time as murdering the chances for peace."

A government official said Monday that the attack could have been the result of chaos on the Gaza-Egypt border, which was smashed down by Hamas militants late last month.

At least one person was killed and 11 others wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mall in the town. A second bomber was shot dead by police before he could detonate his explosives.

The Shin Bet security service warned Sunday that the breached border had enabled Palestinian terrorists to move freely and for advanced weaponry to enter Gaza.

"One of the concerns... was that hardcore terrorists would be filtering out of Gaza and coming back into Israel through the [Egyptian-Israeli] border," a government official said.

"What we are seeing today could well be the direct result of the anarchy we saw on the border with Gaza last week. But we're not sure yet," the official said.

"The terror organizations have showed again who they are and what they are," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel. "Their goal was and
continues to be to kill Israeli citizens in their homes and their schools and in their shopping centers."

At Sunday's Cabinet meeting, the heads of security services warned that because of the anarchy on the Gaza-Egypt frontier, Palestinian militants might enter Israel through Gaza's Sinai desert to attack a civilian Israeli target, a government official said.

MK Steinitz: Build fence on Egypt border

MK Yuval Steinitz (Likud) urged the defense establishment to built a security wall at Israel's southern border with Egypt, echoing a call made by Barak at Sunday's cabinet meeting.

Barak said on Sunday: "The construction of a fence on the border with Egypt is an urgent need. We must immediately begin the prelimary stage [of construction], which would include two sections near Nitzana and in the Eilat area."

"These sections are vital, and must be constructed in order to deal with hostile terrorist activity and infiltrators," he added.

Also Monday, rightist group "The Campaign for Saving Israel" called on Shas to quit the government over the Dimona bombing.

"Shas ministers are responsible for the blood of the murdered in Dimona, as they breath life into Olmert's government," a group of right-wing rabbis wrote.

The group called on Shas ministers and MKs to immediately resign from the coalition, "following the murderous terror, and the continuation of negotiations with Palestinians, which will lead to the establishment of terror state in the heart of Judea and Samaria whose capital will be Jerusalem.

The rabbis added: "Every minute Shas sits and breaths life into Olmert's government, they endanger the nation sitting in Zion."

Abbas condemns attack; Hamas calls it justified

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the Dimona bombing, but was also critical of an earlier military raid by IDF troops in the occupied West Bank, which killed two Palestinian militants.

Mahmoud Habbash, a minister in Abbas' government also condemned the attack, but blamed Israel for creating an atmosphere of violence with its ongoing attacks against militants in Gaza.

"We are against anything that would take us back to a cycle of violence," he said. "We hold Israel responsibile for this escalation, and for what happened."

In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha said he did not know whether his group was involved, but said the attack was justified.

He also rejected suggestions that the bombing would hurt Hamas' chances of reopening the border with Egypt.

"The suicide bombings were there before the closures and the resistance used every opportunity to make these glorious acts," he said. "They show the Palestinians can respond to the enemy and their crimes."

The militant group Islamic Jihad praised the attack as a blow against "Israeli occupation."

In the southern Gaza town of Rafah, gunmen fired their weapons into the air to celebrate the attack.

Related articles:
  • Suicide bomber strikes Dimona, at least one dead
  • ANALYSIS: The Gaza border is closed, but the bomb is ticking
  • Shin Bet: Militants smuggled advanced arms into Gaza Strip
  • Egypt: We won't tolerate further attempts to breach Gaza border
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      1.   peace with exactly whom 13:27  |  real vision 04/02/08
      2.   Are we ready for a change ? 13:57  |  Harold Lane 04/02/08
      3.   A Nation of Animals...nothing more 14:00  |  Yaakov 04/02/08
      4.   After Dimona attack, Shas chair calls for end to talks with PA 14:06  |  Marlene 04/02/08
      5.   #3 Do not insult animals 14:08  |  Sidney 04/02/08
      6.   its time 14:13  |  mo 04/02/08
      7.   Yaakov, animals do not kill out of hate and torture, humans do 14:40  |  Mark B. 04/02/08
      8.   Shas can put a stop to negotiations by quitting the government 14:40  |  Tova M. 04/02/08
      9.   an arab is an arab is an arab 14:46  |  don 04/02/08
      10.   Dimona 14:53  |  sirius 04/02/08
      11.   a jew is a jew is a jew 15:11  |  Palestinian don 04/02/08
      12.   Wall by 2010 15:31  |  Rachel 04/02/08
      13.   What Amnesty says about this attack 15:37  |  Joe Sittizen 04/02/08
      14.   There is no Money 15:41  |  Joe 04/02/08
      15.   the need to avoid a knee-JERK reaction 15:42  |  Machiavelli Spinoza 04/02/08
      16.   Our "government??" now responds to threats by building walls... 16:03  |  bat yam 04/02/08
      17.   A jew is a person, an arab is a person 16:04  |  Russ 04/02/08
      18.   Rachel, 12#, nonsense 16:05  |  Judah 04/02/08
      19.   Real Peace will cure all 16:25  |  USA fred 04/02/08
      20.   Some the grap hold off 16:25  |  Gilad 04/02/08
      21.   the picture said it all, just animals 16:25  |  maurice 04/02/08
      22.   great state of fences 16:26  |  palestinian 04/02/08
      23.   Joe Sittizen #13 16:31  |  USA Fred 04/02/08
      24.   Suicide attacks 16:34  |  Dik 04/02/08
      25.   To Russ in Ottawa 16:44  |  Answer me 04/02/08
      26.   Israel should put mines along with Egypt Border. Do it NOW! 16:47  |  Vittorio 04/02/08
      27.   as the torah/US/EU/IDF clearly says, pals 16:49  |  bozhidar bob balkas 04/02/08
      28.   egypt=friend or FOE 17:08  |  MATILDA 04/02/08
      29.   israel needs to 17:12  |  sa, i am 04/02/08
      30.   Answer Me 17:18  |  Russ 04/02/08
      31.   #1 problems didnt start with qassam 17:30  |  /\/\/\/\/\/\/\ 04/02/08
      32.   Russ No 17 17:34  |  jackie 04/02/08
      33.   Defending Israel 17:39  |  Joe O`Neill 04/02/08
      34.   We Knew This Was Coming 18:19  |  Dov Leibovitz 04/02/08
      35.   A Palestinian is an Arab is a Terrorist 18:22  |  Levi Monseliz 04/02/08
      36.   Is The Picture for Real? Dik 18:35  |  USA Fred 04/02/08
      37.   USA Fred- You are Ignorant 18:42  |  Realist 04/02/08
      38.   Zionists will be defeated 18:43  |  Al Hakim 04/02/08
      39.   Good Fences Make Good Neighbors - What Took So Long? 18:45  |  B`Galil 04/02/08
      40.   #36- Are you for REAL? 18:47  |  Ariel 04/02/08
      41.   Photo above(`Reuters`): "Innocent" boy & Arab women 18:52  |  Pssd off American. 04/02/08
      42.   A picture is worth a 1000 words 18:53  |  Meyer 04/02/08
      43.   Realist how low you stoop 19:00  |  USA Fred 04/02/08
      44.   vows 19:03  |  colin 04/02/08
      45.   I am where I came from 19:33  |  Realist 04/02/08
      46.   Just before we judge each other 19:48  |  Zaki 04/02/08
      47.   USA fred on #36 20:08  |  Shmuelshachor 04/02/08
      48.   Peace with Whom? - not Israel 20:11  |  Patrick 04/02/08
      49.   Mine the borders stupid 20:11  |  Yechiel 04/02/08
      50.   Typical 20:15  |  Nattallie Durson 04/02/08
      51.   Olmert said,"It was a very harsh incident that only points again 20:15  |  common sense 04/02/08
      52.   #22 Arab which side of the fence are you on? 20:15  |  Jerusalemite 04/02/08
      53.   The photo tells it all!!! 20:18  |  George W. Bush 04/02/08
      54.   The picture in the article 20:20  |  Adrian de Klerk 04/02/08
      55.   Nattallie Durson: Typical 20:25  |  Brad 04/02/08
      56.   TO MARLENE #4 20:28  |  Steve Beikirch 04/02/08
      57.   #13 Joe Sittizen - What does Amnesty say about THIS attack? 20:28  |  Yonatan 04/02/08
      58.   #12 Rachel 20:29  |  Boycott 04/02/08
      59.   Not interested in Peace..Fed up with the Lakshmis and Indrajas 20:30  |  Me 04/02/08
      60.   Al Hakim 20:32  |  Brad 04/02/08
      61.   #30 Not in the name of Allah 20:33  |  Outsider 04/02/08
      62.   Chances for peace 20:33  |  Steve Beikirch 04/02/08
      63.   This is not Islam 20:34  |  Ahmed 04/02/08
      64.   #50 Natalie Durson - "genocidal Israeli government" 20:35  |  Yonatan 04/02/08
      65.   To Al Hakim in Rameleh 20:40  |  utagawa 04/02/08
      66.   End the vile siege ,you rotters,and get out of Palestinian land 20:47  |  lakshmi 04/02/08
      67.   No surprise there, Adrian de Clerck 20:48  |  utagawa 04/02/08
      68.   Lost all interest in Israel survivng or not