Suicide attack prompts Israel to occupy Arafat's compound

TEL AVIV, Israel -- A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up on a crowded Tel Aviv bus killing five other people Thursday and Israeli tanks roared back into Yasser Arafat's West Bank compound. The violence snuffed out hopes that after a six-week lull the conflict was winding down.

The nail-studded bomb scorched the bus and sent passengers fleeing out of shattered windows, as the vehicle lurched forward for 50 feet on the downtown boulevard, the driver's burned body slouched over the wheel. Forty-nine people were wounded.

Hours later tanks moved in and fired in the direction of the Palestinian leader's battered office as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon convened his Cabinet in emergency session, fueling speculation about whether he intended to confine Arafat to the building or perhaps to expel him from the West Bank.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, though media reported conflicting claims from the militant Islamic Jihad and Hamas groups. The attack -- along with a suicide bombing Wednesday that killed an Israeli policeman -- ended a relative lull that lasted six weeks and raised hopes that two years of violence might be winding down. The burst of violence came after Israel turned down a Palestinian offer for a phased cease-fire.

Curfew death

Earlier Thursday, a 12-year-old Palestinian boy was killed in Ramallah when he broke an Israeli curfew to buy cigarettes for his father. Witnesses said he was shot by Israeli soldiers. The military had no comment.

And in Abu Dis, a West Bank suburb of Jerusalem, Israeli bulldozers destroyed the family homes of two Palestinians who blew themselves up in Jerusalem on Dec. 1, killing 11 bystanders.

Hours after the Tel Aviv blast, tanks were sent into the Ramallah compound.

The Israeli military said that "in response to the terrorist attack, Israeli forces surrounded the compound." Soldiers with loudspeakers called on wanted Palestinians inside to surrender, naming Tawfik Tirawi, a senior security commander, an Israeli official said.

After its session, the Israeli Cabinet issued a statement blaming the violence on Arafat, "who established the coalition of terror." It said operational decisions were made, but did not elaborate.

Israel Radio said the Cabinet decided to isolate Arafat in his office and demand the surrender of wanted Palestinians inside. Sharon resisted calls to expel Arafat, saying such a measure would cause Israel political damage. Last spring, Israeli tanks confined Arafat to his office for nearly six weeks.

Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a senior Arafat aide, said the Israelis were targeting Arafat and called for international intervention to stop the incursion. "Arafat is fine, but the situation in the compound is very dangerous," Abu Rdeneh said.