Analysis / A signal to Abu Mazen

Except for an announcement by the Hamas spokesman in Gaza that "the action in Tel Aviv was a natural reaction to the killings and crimes carried out by Israel," the Palestinians condemned the terror attack on all sides. Most of the anger stemmed from the fact that the suicide bomber, Amar al-Far from the Askar refugee camp, was a mere 16 years and four months old. "He was born in June 1988 and it is forbidden to give a mission of this kind to a boy," his tearful mother, Samira, said on television.

Yasser Arafat also raised his voice in condemnation, via his spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, as all the Palestinian media reported a continued improvement in his health.

While a connection between the attack and Arafat's hospitalization is unlikely, Palestinian analysts spent a great deal of time explaining that in Arafat's absence, there could be a marked increase in the number of attacks against Israel. Journalists from East Jerusalem said that since Arafat was a unifying symbol for the Palestinian people, in his absence, every faction would try to emphasize its existence, inter alia by carrying out further attacks.

The remarks were directed primarily against the policies of Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), who is standing in for Arafat and is considered a moderate who favors talks and dialogue, and opposes terror. In other words, yesterday's attack was intended as a sign to Abu Mazen that the intifada activists do not accept his ways.

The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine that took responsibility for yesterday's attack is a small and seldom-active organization. The assumption yesterday in the territories was that the timing of the attack was totally coincidental. Nevertheless, one senior Fatah activist explained yesterday that there has been a great deal of anger directed at Abu Mazen in the ranks of the Popular Front over the past two days. The anger stems from Abu Mazen's decision to reduce significantly the number of participants in meetings of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee and to cut the PFLP's representation in the body.

The two heads of the PFLP are currently imprisoned. Abdel Rahim Maluah is being held in administrative detention in the Megiddo prison, while Ahmed Sa'adat is under international custody in Jericho.