Defense sources told Haaretz that the bomber, Abdullah Badran, a resident of the West Bank town of Deir al Ghusun, had connections to Fatah and Islamic Jihad agents in the Tul Karm region as well as with Hezbollah. Palestinian security officials issued a similar assessment.
The village of Deir al Ghusun is adjacent to the separation fence. Security officials said it remains unclear how Badran was able to reach Tel Aviv, though they believe Badran traveled through Jerusalem.
The Israel Defense Forces imposed a curfew early Saturday on a West Bank village, arresting five people and informing a family that their son was the suicide bomber who earlier attacked a Tel Aviv night club, Palestinian security officials said.
The Palestinian Authority's interior minister, Nasser Yousef, told reporters that PA security services had arrested two Palestinians in connection with the attack. No further details were given.
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The militant Islamic Jihad organization initially claimed responsibility for the attack, while members of the Fatah-linked Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah was involved in the bombing.
A senior Palestinian security official confirmed the bomber was recruited by Hezbollah. The official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the bomber, a Palestinian from the northern West Bank town of Tul Karm, was a member of the Brigades. The army said troops had carried out an arrest raid and that a curfew had temporarily been imposed, but gave no further details. Among those arrested were two of Badran's brothers and the local Imam, Palestinian officials said.
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Al Aqsa has largely honored Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' efforts to maintain a recent cease-fire with Israel. But elements of the militant group, which is comprised of many autonomous cells, are widely believed by Israeli and Palestinian officials of receiving orders and funding from Hezbollah.
In Beirut, however, a Hezbollah spokesman denied involvement. "As far as we are concerned, there is no need to respond to such lies," the official said.
Ynets is reporting this:
The Islamic Jihad and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades initially claimed responsibility for the attack, but later denied any connection. Senior Palestinian Authority officials condemned the bombing and said they accept the later denials.
A Hamas spokesperson said his group is still committed to maintaining the current calm.
A source at the Palestinian Authority said it would "not be silent" about the shattering of the truce and would pursue whoever planned the attack and "inflict the required punishment".
Despite denials, members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Islamic Jihad reportedly fired in the air in celebration after hearing of the attack.
The problem with plausible denials of responsibility from Hamas is that earlier in the day a Hamas member was arrested by Israeli security forces in the midst of preparation for a suicide attack.
Really, I am starting to believe that Arafat is not dead. He is still very much with us, if not in flesh, than at least in spirit. Anyone attempting to catalogue his legacy of terror must also inventory his long history of plausible denialability while the blood ran from his fingers. It is imperative to remember that the current Palestinian leadership apprenticed and thrived under Arafat’s long tenure.
So who might be responsible for Friday’s nightclub bombing in Tel Aviv? Well, the Palestinians Authorities are denying all responsibility and jointly pointing fingers with Israel that Hezbollah is responsible. This story is found at Ynet News:
TEL AVIV - Hizbullah terrorists may have been involved in carrying out the suicide bombing in Tel Aviv Friday, Israeli and Palestinian officials say. A Hizbullah source in Beirut, however, denied his group was connected to the attack, which claimed the lives of at least four people.
Security officials estimate that several terror groups may have been involved in perpetrating the attack. Earlier, both the Islamic Jihad and the Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the bombing. Meanwhile, Fatah and Islamic Jihad members fired shots in the air in celebration following the attack.
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Recently, security officials warned of the growing Hizbullah involvement in attempts to carry out attacks in Israel. The group reportedly offered large sums of money to terrorists willing to target Israel. The attack took place as Israel was in the process of lifting restrictions on the Palestinians and allowing freer passage through the West Bank. Security officials will be checking whether the relaxed security procedures helped terrorists carry out the attack.
The Palestinian Authority was quick to condemn the bombing and said the Palestinian government should not be held responsible. There is no room for sanctions against the Authority or freezing contacts between the two sides, spokesman Saeb Erekat said. Palestinian sources said the Islamic Jihad or any other Palestinian group have no interest in carrying out such an attack at this time. "Foreign hands were involved in the attack," a PA source told Ynet. Other senior Palestinian officials told Ynet they tend to agree with Israeli estimates regarding Hizbullah involvement in the bombing.
If Hezbollah is behind the Tel Aviv nightclub bombing than it is the first time since the 1992 Israel Embassy bombing in Argentina that Hezbollah has acted outside of Lebanon. It is important to note that there have been various intelligence reports in the last 18 months that have suggested that Hezbollah has had sleeper cells inside the West Bank and Gaza.
I remain skeptical of all official denials, and my skepticism extends to Israeli officials seeking to point the finger at Hezbollah. Sharon’s Gaza pull-out is increasingly an unpopular move among ordinary Israelis as more and more details come to light about the upcoming pull-out from Gaza. The Sharon government coalition has so far managed to dodge all cries from non-coalition leaders and from a significant portion of Sharon’s Likud party who have now taken to calling for a referendum on the Gaza pull-out. If the bombing was seen to the work of homegrown terrorists the Israeli public outcry could bring down the Sharon government and end the Gaza pull-out.
Since Abu Mazen has assumed the leadership of the Palestinian Authority he has yet to take concrete steps to dismantle the terror networks in his lair but rather has worked diligently in incorporating the various fractions under his plan. What I have yet to hear is what carrots Abu Mazen has offered Hamas & Islamic Jihad for the alleged ceasefire. Both groups are committed to the destruction of the Jewish state and have categorically denounced the two state solution at each and every opportunity. It is commonly assumed that the release of members from Israeli jails and a seat at the table are the carrots but I would not be surprised if the Phased Plan vision of the PLO was not offered as well.
This week the Palestinian Authority has been seeking significant military equipment and hardware internationally which can lead to the plausible conclusion that the Palestinian Authority is not committed to a peaceful two state solution and is still operating under the PLO Phased Plan for the destruction of the Jewish State. A state committed to peace would not use international aid money earmarked for repairing the economy and infrastructure and then choose purchasing armored carriers instead. I remain highly suspicious of the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to the vision of a “two states solution, living in peace, side by side” and speculate that it is all subterfuge on the part of the Palestinian Authority. Official outsourcing of responsibility to third parties for terrorism has been a cornerstone of Palestinian relations since its inception and allowing the vultures to feed now and then only increases the PA’s street creds.
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