A Palestinian suicide bomber detonated explosives near a group of Israeli border police on Monday, killing himself but not injuring anyone else, a police spokesman said, according to AP.
The explosion took place near the Israeli Arab village of Marja, close to the border with the West Bank. Border police saw the bomber approaching and were suspicious of him, Army Radio said. As they approached him, he set off the explosives, damaging the police patrol vehicle but not injuring any officers.
The bombing came soon after Israel's Defense Minister, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer said that the security forces are currently searching for five would-be bombers, some of whom are women, who intend to carry out a suicide attack in Israel. Apparently, these are Palestinians that the Israeli army did not manage to capture during its latest incursion into the West Bank city of Ramallah last week.
After Israeli troops withdrew from the city, security sources said five Palestinians, suspected of planning attacks, were not caught by the army. Since then a closure has been imposed on Ramallah.
Asked about a Sunday report by Israel Channel Two Television, which said Hamas had threatened to mount large-scale chemical weapons attacks, Ben-Eliezer said: "We have been preparing. There are alerts in existence on what is termed "mega-terror". We are doing everything we can to be prepared... We are aware of this, we are expending great efforts on this, very large budgets, very large resources in an effort to locate this, and, thank God, here and there we have succeeded in stopping the transfer of huge amounts of explosives, trucks and other vehicles carrying explosives in amounts exceeding 200 kilos."
"We are in a reality in which there are five suicide (bombers) en route to Israel," he told Israel Radio in an interview. "When I say they are en route to Israel, I am speaking of five suicide (bombers) that we know that they are in various stages of preparation, and this may happen from moment to moment."
"For the time being, all I can tell you is that the (Shin Bet) security service, the army, the Border Police, the police are succeeding in laying their hands on at least 89 percent of all potential attackers."
Meanwhile, an Israeli armoured column rolled through the West Bank town of Jenin after dark on Sunday, exchanging fire with Palestinians before leaving.
Palestinian witnesses and security officials told Reuters the column comprised five tanks, but an Israeli army spokeswoman denied this.
"The unit was made up of armoured vehicles, not tanks," she said. "They were on a routine patrol in Jenin when two roadside bombs were detonated under them and they came under fire. Our forces shot back."
Palestinian witnesses said the column entered from Jenin's northwest periphery, which abuts the West Bank border with Israel, and then left the Palestinian-ruled town while being shot at by local fighters. According to Palestinian sources, one Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire.
The Israeli army spokeswoman also said troops had entered Yabed, a Palestinian village under Israeli security control southwest of Jenin, after coming under fire from unknown gunmen nearby. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
