Homicide Bomber Kills Two Israelis Near Tel Aviv,

[boblandis]

Homicide Bomber Kills Two Israelis Near Tel Aviv, Israel Enters Jenin

Monday, May 27, 2002

PETACH TIKVAH, Israel

[JohnS]

The Associated Press reported this morning that just before blowing himself up near an ice cream parlor in a Tel Aviv suburb, 18-year-old Jihad Titi called his mother in this Palestinian refugee camp to say farewell. "I realized that he is going to carry out a suicide attack," Haleema Titi, 52, told The Associated Press. "I said, 'Oh, son, I hope your operation will succeed.'" Her husband, Ibrahim, said he wished his son - who was avenging the killing of a cousin by Israel - had carried a "nuclear bomb." (MY NOTE: How in the world can parents say this about their 18 year old son???)

Jihad Titi's target on Monday evening was an ice cream parlor and cafe in a shopping mall in Petach Tikvah, a suburb of Tel Aviv. The cafe was crowded with women and children, and several baby strollers were parked near tables. When Titi detonated the explosives just before 7 p.m. the huge blast sent bodies flying in all directions, killing 56-year-old Ruth Peled, 56, and her 18-month-old granddaughter, Sinai Kenaan. Several dozen bystanders were wounded, including five - among them a toddler - who were in serious condition.

Last week, Titi's cousin, Mahmoud, the local leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, a militia linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, was killed in a targeted Israeli attack. At the time, Mahmoud Titi and two friends from Al Aqsa were meeting in the Balata cemetery - one of the few open spaces available in the camp - and were hit by Israeli tank and machine gun fire.

Jihad Titi's mother said her son visited the grave of his cousin, the militia leader, several days ago, and said he would avenge him within a week. "And he did. Today is the seventh day," Mrs. Titi said proudly, surrounded by women paying respects. From time to time she kissed a framed photograph of her son. Other women in the crowd said they were proud of Jihad Titi, who has nine surviving brothers and sisters.

"I would hope that my son would be a nuclear bomb, not a normal bomb, to destroy everything," said the elder Titi. "If we are not able to live, we don't want the others (the Israelis) to live. We can either live together or die together."

In a leaflet faxed to news agencies, the Al Aqsa militia claimed responsibility for Monday's bombing. The group said attacks on Israelis would continue in order to force an end to Israeli occupation. However, the statement did not carry the seal of Fatah - a sign of growing internal disputes within the faction over whether to stop suicide attacks, as demanded by the Palestinian Authority.

[JohnS]

A lesson in childrens education

[boblandis]

These extremists are beyond sick.