Israel blames Syria for Tel Aviv attack

[ECH1969]

JERUSALEM - Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz blamed Syria on Saturday for a suicide bombing that killed four Israelis in Tel Aviv, and Israel’s Army Radio reported that he also froze plans to hand over security responsibilities in the West Bank to the Palestinians.

Israeli security officials also said they may resume assassinations of the leaders of the militant Islamic Jihad group, which claimed responsibility Saturday for the bombing. The officials said on condition of anonymity that the recent cease-fire forged with the Palestinians no longer applies to Islamic Jihad, which has links to Syria.

A resumption of Israel’s targeted killings of wanted militants, which Israel recently agreed to halt, would likely mean the end of the cease-fire declared by the Israeli and Palestinian leaders at a Feb. 8 summit in Egypt.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7011091/

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[htuttle]

2. Yes, of course they blame Syria

And yes, of course this means the cease-fire's off.

Isn't it remarkable how hard-liners on both sides of any conflict always seem to aid each other's goals, whether knowingly or not?

[daleo]

3. Anyone get the feeling Syria is the next PNAC target?

Maybe they reconsidered on Iran, thinking it was a bit too ambitious for now. Or, they could just want to keep us guessing.

[The Zanti Regent]

24. Yeah, PNAC now has Syria in their sights.

Guess Ollie's Nuke Missiles finally made PNAC step back from going after Iram

[KDLarsen]

27. Surprise surprise...

.. looks like Syria borders with the Mediterranean Sea. Have Syria refused to allow oil pipelines from Iraq lately?

[thedailyshow]

4. surprise, surprise.....it was either Syria or Iran.

[simcha_6]

13. Both now

They have an alliance now. And plenty of land between them to hide in...

[Malikshah]

5. Wait a minute... Islamic Jihad?

I thought the al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigade (associated w/ al-Fatah) had called in and taken responsibility for this attack.

OK -- this is getting strange-- I'd have written it off as a mistake, but MSNBC's gone w/ it.

al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigade is not the same as Islamic Jihad...and now Syria...

C'mon folks -- someone did this-- they need to be dealt with-- but these frikking politicians and reporters (political shills) need to stop confusing matters with pointing fingers 3 different ways at once.

Unless of course they simply wish to milk this tragedy for their own gains, truth be damned.

[Igel]

9. Last I heard everybody denied it; the Palestinians arrested

some Islamic Jihad folk, the Israelis arrested some some relatives of the bomber (with the possibility at the time this was primary to obtain DNA samples for ID verification), and "Islamic Jihad central" denied any responsibility or connection.

On edit: ok, 20 minutes later this thread is posted:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1268387

So they finally fessed up. (Oh, good. That's just what we need.)

[Malikshah]

25. The first reports I read last night in the MSM online

had al-Aqsa claiming responsibility--

now I'm reading they and Islamic Jihad denied it-- and now a Syrian group is claiming responsiblity..

Yup-- truth (of culpability) is being lost here.

This is related to the al-Aqsa group claiming responsibility...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1503&ncid=1503&e=1&u=/afp/20050225/ts_afp/mideastisraelblast_050225222604

[Darranar]

23. According to al-Jazeera's English website...

al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility.

Islamic Jihad's leadership in Gaza denied involvement.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/7E98C921-1765-43D2-A6C1-6F53C868F742.htm

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

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[Behind the Aegis]

7. The same can be said of many countries. n/t

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

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[Igel]

10. Please don't try yet another "cui bono/who benefits" argument.

It doesn't matter who actually benefits in our view. It matters who thought they'd benefit, with "benefit" defined not by us, but by the people doing the thinking.

[simcha_6]

16. That's a scary thing to say

Regular aficionado of "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" you are, aren't you.

For the record, I am a Zionist, I want a Palestinian state, I want a Jewish state (and since there already is a big one in the Mediterranean region, I don't see any point in moving it.) So please stop generalizing, associating "Zionists" with settlers. I'm pro-ACRI and a Meretz/Labor fan, so holech l'sheol or shtok.

[simcha_6]

17. Oh, yeah

Hamas benefits from this as well. I guess they didn't do it, but it certainly benefits them, since any pretige lost by the PA goes straight to Hamas. Hamas is like Hizb'Allah's stupid younger brother.

Hizb'Allah, Tanzim, now those were/are smart military groups. The rest are just dumb, selfish terrorists (or maybe smart, selfish terrorists).

[Inland]

19. Maybe. But that doesn't mean an arab didn't do it

I don't think any terrorist attacks are in the palestinian self interest. But they certainly do them often enough.

[drdon326]

12. I 'm sure Israel.....

feels the same about your post.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

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[simcha_6]

15. Shtok

Where's the moderater on this. Cool it, Gyre.

[simcha_6]

11. Yofi, just what we need

I was really optimistic about what's going on now. Of course, this wouldn't exactly mean the end of the cease-fire; Israel's already thwarted about 10 suicide bombings in the last week, but this will undermine Abbas.

I wish Peres were PM at least. He'd probably not respond. He didn't at first after Oslo fell apart.

[jaysunb]

18. Bullshit !!

pure and simple.....

[drdon326]

20. What specifically is "bullshit" ??

.

[Renew Deal]

26. How do you figure?

[Chicago Democrat]

21. Islamic Jihad Says It Was Behind Tel Aviv Bombing

Islamic Jihad Says It Was Behind Tel Aviv Bombing
By GREG MYRE

Published: February 27, 2005


ERUSALEM, Feb. 26 - The radical Palestinian faction Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility on Saturday for a suicide bombing a day earlier that threatened a fragile truce. Meanwhile, Israeli and Palestinian security forces each made arrests in the West Bank, and officials on both sides called for recent peace efforts to be sustained.


Armed Palestinian factions have traditionally claimed responsibility immediately after suicide bombings. But Islamic Jihad leaders repeatedly denied involvement until Saturday evening, when the group released a video and posted a message on its Web site saying it was behind the bombing at a Tel Aviv night club that killed 4 Israelis and wounded about 50. It was the first such bombing inside Israel in nearly four months.

An Islamic Jihad official, identified only as Abu Tarek, said on the Web site that a one-month pause in attacks was over and would not be extended because Israel had continued to kill and arrest Palestinians.

"As long as the other side is not committed, there will be a response from our side," he said.

Also, a video left by the bomber, Abdullah Badran, 21, showed him next to Islamic Jihad flags and vowing to avenge the deaths of Palestinians. In a statement, he sharply criticized the Palestinian Authority, accusing it of collaborating with the United States and Israel.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/27/international/middleeast/27mideast.html?hp&ex=1109480400&en=67b728fac000746d&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[Darranar]

22. It does not. Their leadership in Gaza denied it...

their military wing appears to have declared responsibility though.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/7E98C921-1765-43D2-A6C1-6F53C868F742.htm

[TexasLawyer]

28. kick