Three killed as suicide derails Mideast peace plan

A SUICIDE attacker detonated explosives at the entrance to a crowded mall in northern Israel yesterday, killing at least three shoppers and wounding 47, the latest in a series of bombings that have derailed US peace efforts.

The attack in the town of Afula was the fifth suicide bombing within 48 hours, following blasts in Gaza, Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The spate of bombings underscored how difficult it will be to carry out the US-backed “road map” plan, a three-stage prescription for ending violence immediately and setting up a Palestinian state by 2005.