続発する自爆テロに対し、イスラエルはパレスチナ自治政府庁舎を爆撃する事態にまで発展。昨年秋から続く暴力の連鎖で、中東和平プロセスは瓦解する兆しを見せている。
A suicide bomber detonated explosives outside a Jerusalem hotel Dec. 5, killing himself, injuring two bystanders and further shaking a city already nervous after a wave of deadly attacks.
The blast followed two days of Israeli military strikes targeting Gaza and the West Bank. Two Palestinians were killed Dec. 4, and three missiles hit 50 meters from Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's office in the West Bank
Arafat was not hurt, and said later in a CNN interview that the Israelis "don't want me to succeed" in a campaign against militants.
The bombings were Israel's response to Suicide attacks by Islamic militants that killed 25 people in Jerusalem and the northern port city of Haifa on Dec. 2. The attacks brought the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to a new level of crisis
Fearing large-scale Israeli retaliation after the Dec. 2 suicide attacks, Arafat declared a state of emergency and arrested more than 100 militants
Israeli officials said that the arrests were just for show.
A crisis was also brewing inside Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's own government. The moderate Labor Party, which hopes to mend ties with Arafat, scheduled two meetings Dec. 5 to consider pulling out of the government.