Sharon Cancels Trip to U.S. After Attacks

Fox News Channel ^ | 05/18/2003 | Fox News Channel

[yield 2 the right]

JERUSALEM

[yield 2 the right]

The home page of Fox News Channel has a Breaking News Banner, saying "Sharon Cancels Trip to U.S. After Attacks", but the linked story has nothing more or qutoes about the canceled trip to the U.S. by Sharon. (At least as of 12:30 A.M. EDT_05/18/2003)

[Beck_isright]

I just heard that too. Sad. The AQ's and their friends are getting their way. I'm afraid this is the beginning, not the end of this nonsense.

[yield 2 the right]

qutoes=quotes

[Torie]

Yep, but I suspect Sharon was eager to avoid any meeting that forced him to deal with the road map. Sharon will have to deal with it sooner or later, but he prefers later. Is Sharon right? I don't know. I wished I did know, and could vent, but I don't, and can't. I hate when that happens.

[yield 2 the right]

Updated on Fox News Channel:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,87155,00.html

Homicide Bombers Strike Jerusalem in Separate Attacks

Sunday, May 18, 2003



JERUSALEM — Two homicide bombings (search) rocked Jerusalem early Sunday, in a surge of attacks apparently timed to coincide with the first high-level summit between Israel and the Palestinians in more than two years.

In the first early morning attack, a bomber blew himself up aboard a commuter bus, killing seven people, along with the bomber, and injuring at least 20 others, four of whom were in serious condition. In the second attack, on the outskirts of the city, only the bomber was reported killed.

The first attack was on a number 6 city bus at an intersection on Jerusalem's northern edge, according to a police statement. Four dead passengers were still in their seats in the front of the bus, one leaning out a window, an hour after the blast.

Police said the second bomber blew himself up at the entrance to the village of Dahiya el-Barid, near Jerusalem (search). Police said the bomber was killed in the blast on the highway, and no one else was hurt.

Police said the second bomber blew himself up at the entrance to the village of Dahiya el-Barid, near Jerusalem. Police said the bomber was killed in the blast, and no one else was hurt.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The Sunday bombings were part of a sudden surge in Palestinian attacks -- four in 12 hours -- including a bombing in the West Bank city of Hebron (search) in which an Israeli husband and wife were killed. Also, two armed Palestinians tried to attack a Jewish settlement in the West Bank and were killed by soldiers.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (search) canceled his trip to Washington in the wake of the homicide bombings. He was to talk with President Bush about the Mideast peace plan.

The bus bomber struck at a few minutes before 6 a.m. on Sunday morning, a work day in Israel, at the beginning of rush hour.

Witnesses said the bomb went off on a large bus divided into two sections as it neared a bridge in one of Jerusalem's largest intersections, outside the Arab neighborhood of Shuafat and the Jewish neighborhood of French Hill, in the part of Jerusalem that Israel captured in the 1967 war -- an area that is also claimed by the Palestinians.

Jerusalem police commander Mickey Levy told Israel Radio that the bus had left the suburb of Pisgat Zeev. "The explosive was large," he said, "and the bus was shattered."

It was the first such attack in Jerusalem since last November. In 93 terrorist attacks since the current violence erupted in September 2000, 357 bystanders have been killed. Most were carried out by Hamas (search) and Islamic Jihad, but recently the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, linked to the mainstream Fatah (search), have taken responsibility.

Witnesses and rescue workers said the bomber blew himself up in the front of the bus. The long vehicle was blown onto the side of the road, and all the windows were shattered. A woman's purse lay in the street about 70 yards in front of the bus.

The attack came a few hours after the end of the first Israeli-Palestinian summit meeting in almost three years. Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (search) and Sharon met at the Israeli prime minister's Jerusalem office.

In a statement after the meeting, Sharon said it was agreed that the first priority in peacemaking must be stopping Palestinian attacks.

Responding to the Sunday morning attack, David Baker, an official in Sharon's office, said the Palestinian Authority must use "all means available" to stop the attacks. "Palestinian terror cannot rule the Palestinian agenda," he said.

Just before the summit meeting, a Palestinian homicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of Israelis in the West Bank city of Hebron, killing an Israeli man and his pregnant wife.

[xJones]

Yep, but I suspect Sharon was eager to avoid any meeting that forced him to deal with the road map.

What road map? Israelis keep getting blown up by Palestinians, did Sharon plan that? How exactly is Sharon supposed to negotiate, when he's too busy attending funerals?

[Uncle Miltie]

Probably Saudi-funded Hamas-cide bombers.

Hey Prince Fahd! Over here! If you want to stop the culture of Hamas-cide bombing, you gotta stop paying people to do it. They get the idea that it's a good tool, and use it in your totalitarian Wahhabist piss-hole country too!

[FairOpinion]

The AQ may win a battle or two, but are definitely losing the war. They WILL be eradicate.

[Mr. Mojo]

suspect Sharon was eager to avoid any meeting that forced him to deal with the road map. Sharon will have to deal with it sooner or later

Come on, Torie. You know full well that this "roadmap" is utter nonsense, considering that the possibility of the Palestianians living up to its conditions are exactly nil. Anytime the two parties even come close to talking, let alone actually signing anything, Hamas or one of the other terrorist orgs will make sure it doesn't happen. This shouldn't surprise you (or anyone).

Step one for the Palestinians, if they're serious, is to not just clamp down on, but annihilate the terror groups sworn to the destruction of Israel. Until that happens, nothing else means a damn.

[yield 2 the right]

Sharon needs to show once again how Israel deals with these "Homicide Bombers".

Keep it up, Sharon!!

[zarf]

Won't happen. The road map is dead. The Islamofreaks won't allow it under any circumstances.

It's all out war to eradicte Hammas and it's ilk or the status quo.

[Mr. Mojo]

Hey Prince Fahd! Over here! If you want to stop the culture of Hamas-cide bombing, you gotta stop paying people to do it.

The last thing Fahd and the HOS boys want is to stop the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The very last thing. ...And they pay through the nose to make sure it doesn't happen. If it ever did, and their lunatic populace didn't have the focus of that conflict anymore, their crimminal regime would be dust within a few months.

[Torie]

I didn't mean to suggest the road map didn't have bumps in the road. It is a hard journey, but it must by undertaken, with a rather liberal use, wisely used, of the American carrot and stick. At this juncture, frankly the only really relevant player is the US, and with that power comes responsibility. A wise policy would probably end up with both sides traducing us. But that comes with the territory, and frankly, I am not sure precisely what such a wise policy would be. If I did, I would share it with you.

[telebob]

Everybody knows the rules of the game by now: Anytime there is any motion towards an agreement, there's a suicide bombing. Anytime the US sends an official, there's a suicide bombing.

No Palesitinian state until the Jihads are out of the picture. Time to pack the briefcase and head home. Yeah, we gave it another shot for Blair, etc. Palestinians can't or won't stop the terror so situation normal. End of story.

[thinktwice]

Sharon was eager to avoid any meeting that forced him to deal with the road map.

This confilcts with what I heard on the news earlier today.

Sharon DID MEET with the new Palestinian bigwig to discuss the road map, and that bigwig told Sharon that terrorist suicide bombing would not stop until Israel actually gave up some West Bank territory.

That is blackmail -- as usual -- from the Palestinians.

[Mr. Mojo]

The Carrot and Stick doesn't work with Hamas and their sympathizers. Once one fully comprehends the fact that not only do they not desire peace with Israel, but will fight to the death to make sure that peace never happens, then one understands the futility of these negotiations. If Hamas, the IJ, Fatah, and the rest of 'em were small organizations run by a few nutballs, the situation could possibly be managed. But they're not, and their influence with the "average Palestinian" is on the rise. Combine that with the huge amount of Saudi money spent to keep the status quo, and the conflict becomes completely unresolvable (by non-military means).

[zarf]

The "road map" is another dead end...a still born initiative of European instigation to placate the A-rabs.

Fuggetaboutit.

The Islamo / Palie fascists will have to be eliminated, which will include removal of all funding via terror states.

[Torie]

As I said, there are road bumps. They must be overcome, somehow, or if not, I suspect over the long sweep of history, Israel will die. Yep die. The superpower has a mission here. It is an important mission. It must not be avoided. It must be engaged.

[Torie]

Meeting with the Palie is irrelevant at this point.

[dennisw]

I didn't mean to suggest the road map didn't have bumps in the road. It is a hard journey, but it must by undertaken,

Why do you persist with such liberal idiocy? There is no peace with Muslims. It's a warrior cult just like many American Indian tribes had. They are always Jihading or laying low for the next Jihad. The current status is far better than a peace treaty where Pallies get a "state",  control their borders and can bring in all the weaponry they want.