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CNN Live At Daybreak

Israeli Market Bustling Despite Bombing Yesterday

Aired May 20, 2002 - 05:16   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: After a brief lull, the pace of suicide bombings appears to be picking up again in the Middle East. The most recent incident happened about five hours ago in northern Israel near Afula. Israeli border police were tipped off about a man who was acting suspicious and when they approached him, he blew himself up. No one else was hurt.

That incident comes less than 24 hours after a suicide bomber killed three people in the Israeli coastal city of Netanya.

CNN's Anand Naidoo is in Netanya with more on the aftermath of this attack -- good morning.

ANAND NAIDOO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

I'm here at that fruit and vegetable market in central Netanya which, as you mentioned, was the scene less than 24 hours ago of an explosion that left four people dead. That was a suicide bomber and three Israelis were killed. Fifty-six people were injured in that explosion, 11 of them seriously.

It's now lunch time here and this market is crowded with shoppers. It's almost back to business as usual. And I'm going to step out of the way here so you can get a better view of what I'm talking about. And the camera is now going to show you this alleyway. I say almost back to business as usual because down this alley about 20 yards, or probably 30 yards down this alley, are four stores which remain closed. These are the stores which bore the brunt of yesterday's attack.

Now, police are telling us that the attacker, the suicide bomber arrived here at this market at around 4:15 on a Sunday afternoon. He was disguised in the uniform of the Israeli Defense Force and made his way through the checkpoints up this alley, where he detonated his explosives. That explosion taking place on a Sunday afternoon, the day after Sabbath. The market was crowded at the time.

Netanya is a resort town. It's on the coast. It is about 30 miles north of the city of Tel Aviv.

Now, there have been rival claims as to who is responsible for this particular bomb explosion. Shortly after the blast yesterday, the French news agency Agence France-Presse received a telephone call from an anonymous caller saying that the militant Palestinian group Hamas was responsible for the explosion.

Later, the Palestinian organization the PFLP, which is based in the Syrian capital, Damascus, sent a fax to the Reuters News Agency saying that they were responsible for this bomb explosion.

Now, the PFLP has not previously, has not used this kind of attacks against Israel very often and they say they are using this as a warning to Yasser Arafat. They say that Yasser Arafat is holding one of their leaders in prison on the West Bank and they want him released. That prisoner to whom they refer to is Ahmed Sadat. He's a leader of the PFLP.

Now, police are also telling us this morning that they've received more warnings of impending attacks and to that end there is a heightened security presence here at this market. In fact, at the entrance just off to my left over there, the entrance is guarded by heavily armed Israeli soldiers who are checking everyone who's entering over here.

This town, Netanya, is no stranger to bombings. It's been the target of many attacks over the past 18 months. There have been no less than 12 bombings here. There's also been shooting attacks. In fact, in the most notorious bombing here on March 20 -- at least towards the end of March, on the night before Passover, 29 people were killed at the Park Hotel, which is at the beach front. That was also in a suicide bomb attack. And it was that attack that triggered off the Israeli response Operation Defensive Shield, which was the military incursion into the West Bank -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So I guess I have to ask you about retaliation by Israel. What is Israel saying about this?

NAIDOO: Well, Israel has condemned this attack, you know? And they say that the Palestinian terror continues unchecked. Although the Palestinian Authority did release a statement saying that they also condemn this attack. But the Israelis are saying that these Palestinian attacks are continuing unchecked and they will take whatever needs to be taken to defend themselves, to take action against these suicide bombers -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Anand Naidoo reporting live for us from Netanya this morning. Thank you.

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