ISRAEL Bombers shake fragile truce

Hamas claimed responsibility for one of the blasts.
ROSH HAAYIN, Israel (AP) -- Teenage Palestinian suicide bombers attacked a shopping plaza in Israel and a bus stop in the West Bank today, killing two Israelis and raising new doubt about the fate of a shaky Mideast truce.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the West Bank blast, its first open violation of a cease-fire it declared June 29, while Israel blamed renegades in Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement for the second attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warned that he would not move forward with an already troubled U.S.-backed peace plan "if terrorism doesn't cease completely."
Still, an Israeli military source said there would be no large-scale retaliation and the militants hinted they would try not to escalate tensions. The two sides may want to avoid being blamed for any collapse of U.S. peace efforts.
Reason for bombings
Hamas said it had carried out the bombing to avenge the killing of two of its members by Israeli troops last week, and would return to observing the truce now that it had settled the score.
The attacks in the Tel Aviv suburb of Rosh Haayin and the West Bank settlement of Ariel marked the most serious truce violations yet. Eleven Israelis were wounded in the blasts, which an army commander said were apparently not coordinated.
"I saw fire and a cloud of smoke. They brought out an injured child and then his mother," said Avigail Josef, who sells lottery tickets near the supermarket and pharmacy in Rosh Haayin where one of the explosions went off.
The assailants were both 17, one from the West Bank city of Nablus and the other from the nearby Askar refugee camp. The two lived a few blocks apart, but their families said they did not know each other.
Hamas initially said Islam Yousef Qfeishat, the Ariel assailant, was 21, but the family later said he was 17. The second attacker was identified as Khamis Ghazi Gerwan, 17, a Fatah follower.
Sealed city, curfew
Israel sealed Nablus, and imposed a curfew on surrounding villages. It also called off the release today of 76 Palestinian prisoners, none of them involved in anti-Israeli violence. Some of the detainees had already boarded buses when they were ordered back.
Sharon accused the Palestinian Authority of shirking its obligation to dismantle militant groups. The Palestinian leadership said it remains committed to the "road map" plan and would not allow truce violations, but did not explain how it intended to stop attacks.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, who was considering whether to cut short a tour of Gulf states, has said he will not confront the militants for fear of touching off a civil war.
Statement
In a statement, the Palestinian leadership said it had "always condemned targeting civilians," but held Israel responsible for "the security deterioration in the region."
The Rosh Haayin bombing set off a large fire and left a mass of twisted blinds and shattered glass. The bomber and a bystander were killed, and nine Israelis were wounded, one seriously.
Israel's army chief, Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon, said the attack was carried out by Fatah renegades, though there was no claim of responsibility. Iranian-funded Fatah rebels have refused to comply with the truce and have carried out several attacks in recent weeks
A short time later, the second bomber blew himself up at a bus stop near the entrance to Ariel, killing an 18-year-old Israeli army recruit and seriously wounding two people.
An army commander, Col. Harel Knafo, said the bomber had detonated a belt containing 22 to 33 pounds of explosives. "There appears to be no connection with Rosh Haayin," Knafo said.
The Hamas military wing Izzedine al Qassam said the Ariel attack was revenge for the killing of two of the group's bomb makers in an army raid in Nablus last week.
Hamas released a picture of Qfeishat, lightly bearded and brandishing a machine-gun, that it said was taken just before the operation. A letter that Hamas said was written by the attacker urged his family to celebrate his death.
Quote from letter
"Father, don't be sad, lift your head in pride, because your son died a martyr for the sake of God," the letter said.
A political leader of Hamas in Gaza, Ismail Hanieh, suggested that the group would return to observing the cease-fire now that the score had been settled. Asked whether Hamas was calling off the truce, he said: "No, this is a reaction to the continuous violation [of the truce] by Israel."
Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz cut short a trip to Europe, but it appeared unlikely Israel would order a large-scale military action in response to the bombings. Sharon did not change his itinerary or convene his security Cabinet, as is customary after major attacks. He was to meet later today with a senior U.S. envoy, State Department official William Burns.
Palestinian officials had warned Israel about the attacks in Rosh Haayin and Ariel, Israel TV's Channel 10 said, citing Palestinian security officials. The Rosh Haayin police chief said police had been on alert for attacks.
Israeli officials said the attacks underscored the need to complete a security barrier between Israel and the West Bank. The United States has criticized the barrier, which cuts through West Bank land.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled said the first stage of the fence to be completed stopped just short of the site of the Rosh Haayin attack. "Where the fence ends, terrorists enter," he said.