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Two Die in Apparent Suicide Bombing in Israel

Meredith Buel, Voice of America
July 16, 2001

Israeli police say at least two people are dead and five injured after what appears to be a suicide bombing in the town of Benyamina.

Israeli police say a bomb exploded at a train station in Binyamina, a town near the Mediterranean coast, about 60 kilometers north of Tel Aviv.

Israeli police report an apparent suicide bomber and a woman were killed in the blast. Ambulances raced to the scene and police closed off the area to search for additional bombs.

The explosion occurred as Israel launched the Maccabiah Games, known as the Jewish Olympics, in Jerusalem.

Earlier, the bodies of two Palestinians were found a short distance from the site of the games. Police say the men died when a bomb they were building apparently exploded prematurely.

The Maccabiah Games, held every four years in Israel, were almost cancelled this year after foreign delegations expressed security concerns. Israel insisted a cancellation would be a victory for terrorism. About 2,000 Jewish athletes from around the world are participating.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military launched attacks in two Palestinian-ruled areas in the West Bank. Tanks pushed into Palestinian-controlled parts of Hebron, attacking security posts and wounding a number of people before withdrawing. It was the second Israeli incursion in Hebron since Palestinian gunmen killed two Jewish settlers in the area last week.

Palestinian witnesses say an Israeli tank and other vehicles also entered a Palestinian-controlled area of Tulkarm, after two Israelis were wounded by gunfire.

The violence came a day after Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres met in Cairo with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, a meeting that was criticized by right-wing ministers in the Israeli government.

Nearly 650 people, mostly Palestinians, have died since the uprising against Israeli occupation began last September.

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