Israel delays response to bus attack

Israel did not immediately retaliate today for the suicide bus bombing that killed 14 passengers and the two attackers.

It was the first time in months that the military did not respond quickly to a major attack by Palestinian militants.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is under mounting pressure to prevent more fighting as Washington courts moderate Arab countries ahead of any possible strike against Iraq.

Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai confirmed that US wishes were being considered: “If the Americans attack Iraq, it is in our interest as well as that of the Americans.”

The militant Islamic Jihad group claimed yesterday’s attack, which was the deadliest in three months.

It came as US Assistant Secretary of State William Burns was touring the region and planning talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials.

A car packed with 220lbs of explosives rammed into a bus on a road in northern Israel during afternoon rush-hour.

The blast turned both vehicles into a charred mass of twisted metal.

More explosions went off as ammunition carried by soldiers on the bus blew up, witnesses said.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat denounced the bombing: “You know that the Palestinian leadership position is against such attacks that target civilians, Israelis or Palestinians,” he said at his compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

But Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres held Arafat’s Palestinian Authority ultimately responsible, arguing that his security forces have made no serious attempt to prevent attacks. Peres was speaking during a trip to Brussels, Belgium.

The Palestinians say Israel’s devastating military strikes have rendered their security forces impotent against the militants.

In the past, Israel has launched military offensives in retaliation for major Palestinian attacks. This time, the response was expected to be more limited, possibly including strikes directed at Islamic Jihad. The process of gradually easing work and travel restrictions on Palestinians might be frozen, military officials said.

“The government of Israel will have to take all necessary precautions to stop the next ticking bomb that it is on its way,” said the chief army spokeswoman, Brigadier General Ruth Yaron.

In Washington, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said U. President George Bush also condemned the attack.

“It is another reminder of how it is so important for peace to be pursued and for terror to be stopped,” Fleischer said.