Israeli forces destroy West Bank home of suicide bomber’s family

NABLUS – Israeli troops yesterday destroyed the homes of a teen suicide bomber and two men who had dispatched him to a crowded Tel Aviv outdoor market where he killed three Israelis and wounded 32.

The relatively muted response came after Israel pledged to show restraint in the wake of Yasser Arafat’s illness. The usual signs of an imminent Israeli military counterstrike were absent this time – the hurried high-level security meetings and troop movements – and it appeared that Israel would not hit back as it has in the past.Troops razed the home of the bomber, 16-year-old Eli Amer Alfar, and damaged four neighbouring houses in the crowded Askar refugee camp near Nablus, witnesses said.Alfar’s family of 12 had already removed belongings, knowing that Israel routinely destroys the homes of those involved in attacks against Israelis as a deterrent.The army also destroyed the homes of two senior members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.The military said they dispatched the bomber.The radical PLO faction claimed responsibility for Monday’s blast.Also in Nablus, Israeli undercover troops killed three Palestinians militants affiliated with Arafat’s Fatah movement in a gunbattle in the Casbah, the city’s crowded centre, late on Monday.Witnesses said some of the soldiers disguised themselves in the head-to-toe coverings of Muslim women and carried trays of sweets as they approached the militants sitting in a coffee shop.Palestinian witnesses said the soldiers opened fire without warning, killing two wanted men.The army said the fugitives had drawn pistols before they were shot.Three other militants joined in the battle and the army brought in reinforcements, killing a third gunman.Also, one man was seriously wounded and a fifth escaped, the army said.The troops later raided a Red Crescent clinic looking for the wounded man, but failed to find him, witnesses said.Military officials said the target of the raid was Majdi Murai, a leader of the Al Aqsa Martyr’s Brigades, a violent group with ties to Arafat’s Fatah movement.Murai was responsible for recruiting a number of teenage boys for suicide attacks.Murai survived an attempt on his life last month.Frustrated by Israeli security measures that have greatly reduced their effectiveness, militant groups have turned to using teenagers and women to transport explosives and carry out attacks, hoping they would raise less suspicion at the dozens of Israeli checkpoints designed to capture bombers.The Tel Aviv bomber was only 16 years old, one of the youngest Palestinian suicide bombers, and his parents lashed out at the militants who recruited him.- Nampa-APThe usual signs of an imminent Israeli military counterstrike were absent this time – the hurried high-level security meetings and troop movements – and it appeared that Israel would not hit back as it has in the past.Troops razed the home of the bomber, 16-year-old Eli Amer Alfar, and damaged four neighbouring houses in the crowded Askar refugee camp near Nablus, witnesses said.Alfar’s family of 12 had already removed belongings, knowing that Israel routinely destroys the homes of those involved in attacks against Israelis as a deterrent.The army also destroyed the homes of two senior members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.The military said they dispatched the bomber.The radical PLO faction claimed responsibility for Monday’s blast.Also in Nablus, Israeli undercover troops killed three Palestinians militants affiliated with Arafat’s Fatah movement in a gunbattle in the Casbah, the city’s crowded centre, late on Monday.Witnesses said some of the soldiers disguised themselves in the head-to-toe coverings of Muslim women and carried trays of sweets as they approached the militants sitting in a coffee shop.Palestinian witnesses said the soldiers opened fire without warning, killing two wanted men.The army said the fugitives had drawn pistols before they were shot.Three other militants joined in the battle and the army brought in reinforcements, killing a third gunman.Also, one man was seriously wounded and a fifth escaped, the army said.The troops later raided a Red Crescent clinic looking for the wounded man, but failed to find him, witnesses said.Military officials said the target of the raid was Majdi Murai, a leader of the Al Aqsa Martyr’s Brigades, a violent group with ties to Arafat’s Fatah movement.Murai was responsible for recruiting a number of teenage boys for suicide attacks.Murai survived an attempt on his life last month.Frustrated by Israeli security measures that have greatly reduced their effectiveness, militant groups have turned to using teenagers and women to transport explosives and carry out attacks, hoping they would raise less suspicion at the dozens of Israeli checkpoints designed to capture bombers.The Tel Aviv bomber was only 16 years old, one of the youngest Palestinian suicide bombers, and his parents lashed out at the militants who recruited him.- Nampa-AP