A bomb exploded this morning in an Arab school in Tzur Baher, an Arab neighborhood just east of Ramat Rachel in southeastern Jerusalem; eight people were lightly wounded. An unknown organization calling itself \"Revenge of the Babies\" took credit. However, many signs indicate that the bomb was nothing more than an Arab provocation.
Asked if there was a suspicion that Arabs may have placed the bomb, City Councilwoman Roni Aloni told Arutz-7\'s Yosef Zalmanson today, \"Of course it was Arabs! There is no doubt!\" Aloni, who describes herself as \"extreme left\" in matters of civil rights and other issues - \"I am in favor of evacuating settlements\" - said that she is very right-wing when it comes to the unity of Jerusalem. \"I happened to visit that very school yesterday,\" she said, \"and the teachers and students were complaining that they were not being protected from Arab elements who wish to stir up trouble. It\'s clear that areas such as Beit Tzafafa and Tzur Baher, which are well within Jerusalem city limits, are viewed by the PA as enemies of Arafat - and the Tanzim wishes to end the peaceful co-existence that currently exists between Jews and Arabs in these areas.\" Local leader Zuhair Hamdan expressed similar sentiments.
A short time afterwards, the junior high school students began throwing rocks at policemen whom they accused of not protecting them from PA elements. Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert was forced to answer the claims. \"The police responded quickly,\" Olmert said, \"but the Arab neighborhoods are not a regular target of terrorist attacks, so naturally the police are not stationed in these neighborhoods as heavily as they are elsewhere.\" The mayor also hinted that the explosion might have been the work of Arab elements trying to provoke Jerusalem\'s Arab population: “Suicide is not exactly foreign to them, and they don’t exactly take extreme measures to avoid [civilian casualties]…\"
Olmert expressed disgust at the question of an Israeli reporter at the scene: \"I had said that the blast was still under investigation, and he said, \'How is it that whenever there is a blast in downtown Jerusalem, you immediately know that it\'s the work of Palestinian terrorists, yet here you have to perform all sorts of checks?\' Can you imagine, an Israeli journalist, after 17 months of bombs and attacks directed against Jews almost every single day, has the nerve to ask such a question!\"
Asked if there was a suspicion that Arabs may have placed the bomb, City Councilwoman Roni Aloni told Arutz-7\'s Yosef Zalmanson today, \"Of course it was Arabs! There is no doubt!\" Aloni, who describes herself as \"extreme left\" in matters of civil rights and other issues - \"I am in favor of evacuating settlements\" - said that she is very right-wing when it comes to the unity of Jerusalem. \"I happened to visit that very school yesterday,\" she said, \"and the teachers and students were complaining that they were not being protected from Arab elements who wish to stir up trouble. It\'s clear that areas such as Beit Tzafafa and Tzur Baher, which are well within Jerusalem city limits, are viewed by the PA as enemies of Arafat - and the Tanzim wishes to end the peaceful co-existence that currently exists between Jews and Arabs in these areas.\" Local leader Zuhair Hamdan expressed similar sentiments.
A short time afterwards, the junior high school students began throwing rocks at policemen whom they accused of not protecting them from PA elements. Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert was forced to answer the claims. \"The police responded quickly,\" Olmert said, \"but the Arab neighborhoods are not a regular target of terrorist attacks, so naturally the police are not stationed in these neighborhoods as heavily as they are elsewhere.\" The mayor also hinted that the explosion might have been the work of Arab elements trying to provoke Jerusalem\'s Arab population: “Suicide is not exactly foreign to them, and they don’t exactly take extreme measures to avoid [civilian casualties]…\"
Olmert expressed disgust at the question of an Israeli reporter at the scene: \"I had said that the blast was still under investigation, and he said, \'How is it that whenever there is a blast in downtown Jerusalem, you immediately know that it\'s the work of Palestinian terrorists, yet here you have to perform all sorts of checks?\' Can you imagine, an Israeli journalist, after 17 months of bombs and attacks directed against Jews almost every single day, has the nerve to ask such a question!\"