Suicide bomber eight in Jerusalem bus attack

A SUICIDE bomber blew himself up on a crowded Jerusalem bus yesterday, killing eight people and wounding 59 in an attack Israeli officials said proved the need for the disputed separation barrier it is building.

The attack came just a day before the International Court of Justice at the Hague was to begin hearings on the barrier, which Israel says is critical to keeping out bombers that have killed hundreds of Israelis in more than three years of violence.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a militant group loosely affiliated with Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, claimed responsibility for the attack and identified the bomber as Mohammed Zool, 23, from the village of Hussan near Bethlehem.