PALESTINIAN SUICIDE BOMBER STRIKES ISRAELI BUS

Suicide Bomber Strikes Israeli Bus Station.

JERUSALEM, Aug. 28 — A Palestinian suicide bomber detonated himself outside a public bus in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba during rush hour Sunday, wounding at least 10 people in the first such attack since Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

Israeli officials said the casualty toll would have been far higher if the bus driver had not identified the bomber as a potential attacker and notified two security guards, who pursued the man as he walked through the city’s main bus station.

The bomber eventually detonated his explosives, seriously wounding the two guards and injuring at least eight other Israelis. More than two dozen others were treated at local hospitals for light injuries and hysteria.

Palestinian officials condemned the attack, saying it undermined Palestinian interests at a time when Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza has provided new opportunities to revive a frozen peace process.

Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said, “We call upon all to make a maximum effort in order to maintain the truce and quiet. I think the last thing Israelis and Palestinians want is to return to the cycle of violence. It is the last thing they need.”

But Israeli officials said the attack highlighted the inadequacy of the Palestinian Authority’s effort to confront radical Palestinian militant groups, a requisite step to return to the U.S.-endorsed peace program known as the road map. Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility, a spokesman for the radical Palestinian group Islamic Jihad said on radio broadcasts that the attack brought pride to the Palestinian people.