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November 1, 2004
Suicide bomber kills three at Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market
MATTHEW GUTMAN
A 16-year-old suicide bomber entered Israel from the West Bank Monday morning, turned away from his intended target in Jerusalem, and finally detonated his bomb in Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market, killing three people and wounding more than 35.
It was the first suicide attack since September and raised the specter of increased violence in the wake of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat’s illness.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for the attack. The bomber was identified as Amar al-Far, of the Askar refugee camp near Nablus.
The dead were Shmuel Levy, 65, of Jaffa; Leah Levine, 64, of Givatayim; and Tatiana Ackerman, 32, of Tel Aviv.
Twelve of the wounded were still in Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital on Monday night, seven of them with serious injuries and the rest with moderate-to-light wounds, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The five-kilogram bomb blew a hole through the market’s tin roof and left body parts and produce mingled together on the ground. Stall owner Aharon Gavrieli said he saw "a man lit up like a torch running away. A policeman doused him with water. The explosion was large, but not that large. I actually thought it was a gas canister."
The PFLP plan had called for Far to strike in Jerusalem, but, daunted by a checkpoint, he and his driver headed for Tel Aviv for an easier target, security sources said. He had left Nablus for Abu Dis early Monday morning, reaching his final destination at about 11:20 a. m.
The Shin Bet and IDF received a tip that a bomber was on his way, and a futile race to head him off began. Far was apparently dropped off near the market and walked several hundred meters into it before stopping at the Shimi Brothers’ cheese shop, where he detonated his explosives.
"We have many cases of security forces thwarting attacks,‘ said Tel Aviv police chief Cmdr. David Tzur, ’and if somebody gets through, that means he has gone through a thick layer of defense."
Tzur suggested that illegal Palestinian workers at the market might have played a role, though the security establishment said nothing about possible leads in that direction.
"I want to say to all those who employ Palestinians who do not have the required permits to enter Israel: Please put a stop to this. These Palestinians give terrorists information and assist them in getting into Israel," Tzur said.
Shortly after the bombing, a small group of protesters held up signs at the site reading: "Victims of disengagement."
Monday’s was the 14th suicide bombing inside Israel since the beginning of the year. The last in Tel Aviv took place in July, when a bomber blew up near a bus stop on Rehov Har Zion, killing a female soldier. The most recent blast occurred in Jerusalem’s French Hill neighborhood on September 22.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said shortly after the attack that it proves "that there will been no change in the Palestinian Authority until the PA starts taking serious steps to eliminate terror, dismantles terrorist organizations, and puts an end to incitement."
But Bashir Barghouti, a Palestinian analyst said, "This is a message to Mahmoud Abbas and [PA Prime Minister] Ahmed Qurei that there should be no compromise with Israel."
He called the situation "extremely sensitive. And talking about ’entering a new era’ isn’t on at this point. Whoever thinks that we would have started to take measures against this or that group yesterday or today is totally mistaken. This takes time."
Far’s parents were less forgiving. "It’s immoral to send someone so young,‘ his mother, Samir Abdullah, 45, told the Associated Press. ’They should have sent an adult who understands the meaning of his deeds."
His father, Abdel Rahim, 53, said his son woke him up Monday and asked for NIS 2. "Two shekels, that’s what boys ask for — it’s not money for men,‘ he said. ’He kissed me on the cheek and hand and left, and I went back to sleep."
In Memoriam
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