Islamic Jihad to step up attacks

Islamic Jihad is to step up attacks in Israel as a show of support for Iraq, the militant group said today, a day after dispatching a suicide bomber who wounded 49 Israelis outside a packed cafe.

Yesterday’s blast in the coastal town of Netanya appeared to have thrust both Israelis and Palestinians closer to the war in Iraq, with both making the connection to that conflict after largely watching it from the sidelines.