Eight killed in terror bus attack
By Margot Dudkevitch

JERUSALEM (February 15) - Seven IDF soldiers and a civilian were killed, and 23 people wounded, when a Palestinian bus driver ploughed into a crowded bus stop at the Azor junction near Holon yesterday morning.

The driver, Khalil Mohammed Abu Ulbah, 36, a part-time Egged driver from Gaza, fled the area at high speed with police in pursuit. He was finally stopped at the Gan Yavne intersection on Route 4 when he crashed into a truck stopped at a traffic light, after having been shot by a policeman at the Ashdod overpass.

The dead were identified as Simha Shitreet, 30, of Rishon Lezion; Staff-Sgt. Ofir Magidish, 20, of Kiryat Malachi; Sgt. David Elouz, 21, of Kiryat Malachi; Sgt. Julie Weiner, 21, of Jerusalem; Sgt. Rahel Levy, 19, of Ashkelon; Sgt. Kochava Polanski, 19, of Ashkelon; Cpl. Alexander Manevitz, 18, of Ashkelon; and Cpl. Yasmin Karisi, 18, of Ashkelon.

A general closure was imposed on Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, barring Palestinians from entering Israel except for humanitarian assistance, the international border crossings were closed, the lifting of some restrictions in the West Bank and Gaza was cancelled, and 80 Palestinian Authority officials with VIP status were barred from entering Israel.

In addition, the Gaza International Airport was closed, mainly due to the escalation in violence in the area. According to Palestinian reports, this left several hundred pilgrims who were to travel to Mecca stranded in the terminal. However, Yarden Vatikai, spokesman for the coordinator of government activities in the territories, said the Allenby Bridge and Rafah crossings will be open to allow the thousands of pilgrims embarking on the Haj to pass through.

Describing the terror attack as extremely grave, Prime Minister Ehud Barak declared that the IDF and General Security Service will apprehend those who planned it. Barak warned that the IDF's "long arm" will reach those responsible.

Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon said that the terror organizations do not differentiate among Tel Aviv, Hebron, Jerusalem, Hadera, or Ariel. "The most important issue is to take the necessary steps to restore security to the citizens of Israel," he said.

Barak also said that the only way to bring security is separation from the Palestinians, either through an agreement or an Israeli initiative, while always leaving the door open for a return to negotiations.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Secretary of State Colin Powell had called Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, who had earlier called the attack "a car accident," and that he told Powell he had condemned "the killings, and the violence, and the bus attack that took place today."

President Moshe Katsav told reporters during a visit to the wounded in Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer last night that "we cannot allow bloodthirsty criminals to create havoc in Israeli society. [PA Chairman Yasser] Arafat is directly responsible for the violence that occurs."

Thousands attended the funerals of Elouz and Magidish, who were buried next to each other in the military section of the Kiryat Malachi cemetery last night. In Ashkelon today, Karisi will be buried at 11, Manevitz at 12:30, Polanski at 2, and Levy at 4, all in the local cemetery's military section. Shitreet will be buried in Rishon Lezion's cemetery at 2. Funeral details regarding Weiner, who immigrated from France and lived with an "adopted family" on Kibbutz Zikkim, have yet to be announced.

Shortly before 8 a.m., Abu Ulbah, who had dropped off 50 Palestinian laborers near Ramle, drove back to Azor. He first hit a car parked meters from the bus stop, then rammed into the soldiers and civilians before speeding off in the direction of Ashdod on Route 44.

Initially police thought it was an accident, but soon realized what had happened and and set up roadblocks on routes nearby. Minutes later, taxi driver Uri Altman reported seeing the bus. Police set off in pursuit. The bus was finally caught in a traffic jam, and traffic policeman Nissim Sanker, his gun drawn, approached it and ordered the driver to get out. Abu Ulbah refused and Sanker shot him, wounding him in the armpit, and also shot at the tires and engine in the rear of the bus as Abu Ulbah sped off.

Six kilometers further on, traffic policeman Roman Kogan scattered spikes on the highway. They penetrated the bus's tires and Abu Ulbah lost control and hit a truck stopped at a traffic light. Police surrounded the bus and sealed off the area. Police sappers entered the bus to check for explosives, before a medical team treated Abu Ulbah, who was later taken to Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot, where his leg was amputated.

Abu Ulbah was remanded for 15 days last night by Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court Judge Ya'acov Sheinman, who conducted the hearing behind closed doors in the recovery room at Kaplan.

Truck driver Yisrael Golzari told reporters he had stopped at the light when, in his rear-view mirror, he saw a bus speeding toward him. "It hit me, and I jumped out of the truck and ran to the side of the road. I felt something wasn't right and feared the bus might blow up."

Those wounded in the attack were taken to Sheba, Wolfson Hospital in Holon, and Assaf Harofeh Hospital in Tzrifin.

Two female soldiers in Sheba were in critical condition, and a third in satisfactory-to-serious condition. Seven of the 14 wounded taken to Assaf Harofeh were released, and the condition of the others was described as good. Those taken to Wolfson - four soldiers and a civilian - were suffering from shock and were released later in the day.

Soldier Ruth Peretz was waiting in a car parked meters from the bus stop. "I was sitting in the car. My friend came and I began to open the door, but was in the car when it was hit. I twisted my ankle, but my friend was seriously hurt," she said.

After the roads were reopened, hundreds of angry residents of nearby neighborhoods protested at the scene of the attack, demanding the government respond harshly. Police prevented the protesters from blocking the road.

A group called Kataib Al-Aiwdah, comprising students affiliated with late bomb-maker Yihye "the Engineer" Ayash, claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said was in response to the assassination of Hizbullah terrorist Lt.-Col. Massoud Iyyad. However, security officials said Abu Ulbah did not belong to any group and was operating on his own.

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Jerusalem Post Radio report - One civilian, seven soldiers killed in terror attack
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