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Sharon Slams Bombing Attack in Northern Israel
Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon on Sunday condemned the suicide bombing attack taking place earlier in the day in Netanya, a coastal city in northern Israel.
Sharon has sent his condolences to the families of the casualties caused by the explosion. A national unity government under Sharon's leadership will "find a way to restore security for the Israeli people," a spokesman for Sharon said.
The bomb blast occurred at an open market in the downtown of the city in the morning rush hour, killing three people, including the suicide bomber, and injuring more than 50 others.
"It is important for Israelis to be united during the difficult period of time," Sharon stressed.
Incumbent Communications Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, who has been chosen by the Labor Party to take up the defense portfolio in the incoming coalition government to be led by Sharon, said that after he assumes office, he will meet with Sharon to "set a clear policy for dealing with terrorist attacks against Israelis."
Ben-Eliezer said that the general policy would "focus on targeting the planners and perpetrators of such attacks" and try to "avoid collective punishment" of the Palestinians as much as possible.
He, meanwhile, stressed that in the final analysis, any solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts would "have to be found on the negotiating table."
During the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Israeli outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Barak said that Israel has witnessed an increase in the scope of attacks and casualties in recent days.
"This reality stems from our dealings with the Palestinians. We must show stamina. Any conduct otherwise plays into the hands of the terrorists and to a certain degree even encourages them," Barak said in a statement issued by his office.
In another development, Israel's Tel Aviv magistrate court has issued a temporary order to ban the publication of details of the investigation into the incident.
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