Report: 18 die in Israel suicide blast

Jerusalem - A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded beach restaurant in the Israeli port city of Haifa on Saturday. A television report said 18 people were killed, including five children. Police said about two dozen people were wounded as well.

The attack came on the Sabbath before the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement. It was the first suicide bombing in a month and the first since a threat by Israel to expel Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Police said a gunman was also involved in Saturday's attack at the popular Maxim restaurant on Haifa's beach promenade. On Saturdays, the promenade is packed with people.

Police said the blast was set off by a suicide bomber, who had explosives strapped to his body. Police said 10 people were killed and about two dozen more were wounded, but a television report put the toll at 18.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The attack came despite a blanket closure Israel had imposed on the West Bank and Gaza Strip ahead of Yom Kippur, which begins at sundown Sunday and ends at sundown Monday. Such closures are generally imposed during Jewish holidays because of increased concerns about attacks by Palestinian militants in such periods.

Since fighting broke out three years ago, more than 400 Israelis have been killed in 103 Palestinian suicide bombings.

The Haifa blast was the first since twin attacks on Sept. 9 that killed 15 people near an army base outside Tel Aviv and at a Jerusalem coffee shop. After that attack, the Israeli Cabinet approved the "removal" of Arafat, but did not say when it would take action. It is widely believed that a major attack with many casualties could trigger Israeli measures against Arafat.

The Palestinian Authority had no immediate comment.

David Baker, an official in Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office, said Israel demands that the Palestinian Authority take immediate steps against militant groups.

"The bombing in Haifa is another indication that the Palestinian Authority continues to refuse to take even minimal steps against the terrorist infrastructure," he said. -- Associated Press

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