Suicide bombing near mall kills 3

NETANYA, Israel — A bomber blew himself up among a group of teens near a shopping mall in the seaside city of Netanya yesterday, killing three women in the second such attack since a truce was declared five months ago.

About 30 people were wounded, three seriously, police said. Bloodied clothes were strewn on the asphalt, and the body of a woman was sprawled in the street.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, though Israeli police identified the suicide bomber as an 18-year-old member of the militant Islamic Jihad. Police said the bomber was from the West Bank village of Atil, about eight miles east of Netanya.

The last bombing, on Feb. 25, was carried out by Islamic Jihad. However, the group said in a statement after yesterday’s attack that it remained committed to the cease-fire. Islamic Jihad has said that despite the truce, it reserves the right to retaliate for what it perceives as Israeli violations, such as arrests of Islamic Jihad members.

In response to the bombing, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz canceled a meeting, initially set for later yesterday, to discuss the summer’s withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip and four small West Bank settlements with a Palestinian Cabinet and a U.S. envoy. Instead, Mr. Mofaz convened army commanders.

Despite the attack, it was unlikely that the truce would collapse. Both sides have an interest in not walking away from their agreement. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon must maintain calm to carry out the Gaza withdrawal, and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’ political survival depends on keeping the cease-fire alive.

Mr. Abbas, in unusually strong language, said an attack on the eve of Israel’s pullout from Gaza and West Bank Jewish settlements was irrational.

“We condemn this terrorist attack. It’s a crime against the Palestinian people,” he said. “Those traitors are working against the Palestinian interest. There is no rational man who can do those things on the eve of the Israeli withdrawal from 22 settlements.

“They did a stupid thing that they should be punished for,” he said.

But, he added, Islamic Jihad, blamed by Israel, had denied involvement.

The blast occurred shortly before 7 p.m. at a crosswalk outside the Sharon Mall in Netanya. Minutes earlier, an Islamic Jihad member attempted to drive a car bomb into a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, police said.

The bomber was captured after the explosives detonated prematurely, police said. They said the two attacks were linked.