Jerusalem Bombing May Be First by a Woman

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Jerusalem Bombing May Be First by a Woman

In what was believed to be the first suicide bombing by a woman, a Palestinian exploded a device in central Jerusalem on Sunday, killing herself and an 81-year-old Israeli man, authorities said.

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In what was believed to be the first suicide bombing by a woman, a Palestinian exploded a device in central Jerusalem on Sunday, killing herself and an 81-year-old Israeli man, authorities said.

At least 100 people were hurt, including an American family.

Palestinian sources said the bomber was Shahnaz Amouri, a student at Al-Najar University in Nablus, a Hamas hotbed that has produced five suicide bombers in recent months. The university, however, said it did not have a record of a student by that name.

The attack, just days after a gunman opened fire on the same street, comes as Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is facing increased criticism in diplomatic circles.

Over the weekend, U.S. President Bush denounced Arafat's failure to halt a growing wave of terror attacks in Israeli cities while special U.S. peace envoy Anthony Zinni reportedly described the Palestinian leader as a liar and mafia boss, Israeli newspapers reported Sunday. U.S. officials reportedly are debating whether to cut diplomatic ties with Arafat.

"This attack this morning is just one more instance that proves that there is no effective control of the terrorist attacks that are being launched against Israel," U.S. Vice President Cheney said on Fox News Sunday.

David Ivry, Israel's ambassador to the United States, blamed Arafat's Palestinian Authority for the escalating violence. He said it was no longer a viable partner in the peace process. "Israel's patience with the Palestinian Authority has come to an end," Ivry said in Washington.

The bomber blew herself up on crowded Jaffa Road, the main street of Jerusalem, shortly after midday Sunday, a regular working day in Israel. The bomb was studded with nails and metal objects designed to maim and kill.

The blast, the second suicide attack in less than three days, was less than 10 yards from the spot where a Palestinian gunman shot dead two elderly women last Tuesday and wounded 20 others. Last Friday, a Palestinian suicide bomber killed himself and injured more than a dozen bystanders in Tel Aviv.

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