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March 19, 2004/Adar 26 5764, Vol. 56, No. 26
Suicide bombings in Ashdod
DAN BARON
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
TEL AVIV - With this week's suicide bombings in Ashdod, Palestinian terrorists may have hoped to see a toxic cloud hanging over an Israeli city - the embodiment of a new, higher level of terrorism.
Although luck and security spared Israel a chemical cataclysm, the March 14 double suicide bombing at Israel's second-largest port devastated scores of families, killing 10 people. The attack wounded at least 16.
The two teenage bombers came from the Gaza Strip, and their attack marked the first successful terrorist strike launched by Palestinian infiltrators from the fenced-in strip during the current intifada. Palestinians said the bombers may have tunneled into Israel under the Gaza Strip security fence, then broke through tight Israeli security at the port.
"This comes to show that resistance will continue until the enemy leaves all of occupied Palestinian land," said Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin, whose group is sworn to the destruction of the Jewish state.
The Al-Aksa Brigade, the terrorist wing of Yasser Arafat's mainstream Fatah movement, claimed joint responsibility for the attacks along with Hamas.
In response, Israel launched a predawn raid on March 15, destroying two metal foundries in Gaza that Hamas used to produce weapons.
On March 16, Israel retaliated more strongly. Israeli aircraft killed two Palestinians in a Gaza assault ordered as part of retaliation for the March 14 terror attack.
Terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip also were bracing for a ground assault after reports of Israeli tanks massing at the Erez border crossing.
On March 15, Sharon ruled out peace talks with the Palestinian Authority, saying it had done nothing to confront terrorists, as required by the U.S.-led "road map" peace plan.
The government's announce-ments also raise the possibility that Sharon's contingency plan for disengagement from the Palestinians - a plan Sharon said he would pursue if there appeared no genuine Pale-stinian partner for peace - would proceed.
The prime minister will be going to Washington later this month to secure U.S. support for the plan, which involves the dismantlement of most Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and some unilateral moves in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, security officials said March 15 they would beef up security around Israel's ports.
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