Israel's workweek began this morning under a blue sky of terror. Arabs murdered at least eleven Israelis and injured over seventy in four separate attacks.
In the first incident, at around 8:45 AM during the height of the morning rush hour, an Arab suicide bomber detonated explosives aboard Egged bus number 361 from Haifa as it pulled into the Meiron Junction bus stop, near the entrance to the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. The junction is located 30 miles northeast of Haifa.
The roof of the bus was blown off, and a fire erupted which reduced the vehicle to a large pile of charred and twisted metal. Ten people were killed with more than 50 others injured, six seriously. At least three of those dead are IDF soldiers. The wounded were airlifted by helicopter to hospitals in Tzfat, Haifa, and Tiberias.
The doomed bus, which originated at Haifa's Central Bus Station at 7:15 AM on its way to Tzfat, was packed with many soldiers returning to base, commuters traveling to work, and other Israelis going home after the weekend. Eyewitnesses say that two Arab women got off the bus and fled the scene just prior to the explosion. Police now believe that the terrorist hinted his intentions to the two women prior. The Hamas terror gang has claimed reponsibility for the bombing.
The attack occurred minutes after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's weekly Cabinet meeting convened in Jerusalem. The session was to have been devoted to discussing this week's diplomatic meetings between Israeli and Palestinian Authority leaders. All of those meetings have now been postponed. In response to the attack, the Prime Minister said that Israel, "must act against terror with all means possible." However, Sharon indicated that the planned relaxation of restrictions on PA residents would continue as planned.
MK Zevulun Orlev (National Religious Party) dubbed this morning's attack "The massacre at Meiron." He told Arutz Sheva's Knesset correspondent Haggai Seri that Israel must expedite the process of expelling the family members of suicide bombers. He added that, "This attack, like ones before it, raises a question about the possibly of Arabs who hold Israeli citizenship assisting the terrorists."
Rabbi Meir Yisrael Lau told Israel radio this morning that the entire country is in grief following last weeks attack at Hebrew University and today's bombing. He added that while he believes that the government is doing whatever it can to thwart terror "drastic steps need to be taken" to stop the onslaught.
In the first incident, at around 8:45 AM during the height of the morning rush hour, an Arab suicide bomber detonated explosives aboard Egged bus number 361 from Haifa as it pulled into the Meiron Junction bus stop, near the entrance to the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. The junction is located 30 miles northeast of Haifa.
The roof of the bus was blown off, and a fire erupted which reduced the vehicle to a large pile of charred and twisted metal. Ten people were killed with more than 50 others injured, six seriously. At least three of those dead are IDF soldiers. The wounded were airlifted by helicopter to hospitals in Tzfat, Haifa, and Tiberias.
The doomed bus, which originated at Haifa's Central Bus Station at 7:15 AM on its way to Tzfat, was packed with many soldiers returning to base, commuters traveling to work, and other Israelis going home after the weekend. Eyewitnesses say that two Arab women got off the bus and fled the scene just prior to the explosion. Police now believe that the terrorist hinted his intentions to the two women prior. The Hamas terror gang has claimed reponsibility for the bombing.
The attack occurred minutes after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's weekly Cabinet meeting convened in Jerusalem. The session was to have been devoted to discussing this week's diplomatic meetings between Israeli and Palestinian Authority leaders. All of those meetings have now been postponed. In response to the attack, the Prime Minister said that Israel, "must act against terror with all means possible." However, Sharon indicated that the planned relaxation of restrictions on PA residents would continue as planned.
MK Zevulun Orlev (National Religious Party) dubbed this morning's attack "The massacre at Meiron." He told Arutz Sheva's Knesset correspondent Haggai Seri that Israel must expedite the process of expelling the family members of suicide bombers. He added that, "This attack, like ones before it, raises a question about the possibly of Arabs who hold Israeli citizenship assisting the terrorists."
Rabbi Meir Yisrael Lau told Israel radio this morning that the entire country is in grief following last weeks attack at Hebrew University and today's bombing. He added that while he believes that the government is doing whatever it can to thwart terror "drastic steps need to be taken" to stop the onslaught.