Abbas pledges to hunt down bombers

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas today pledged to track down and punish militants responsible for a suicide bombing that killed four Israelis at a Tel Aviv nightclub, and Palestinian security officials pointed to the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah as the apparent mastermind.

Israel and the United States said Abbas has to act quickly and forcefully - despite his long-standing reluctance to confront militants – if he wants to rescue a fragile Mideast truce.

Abbas’ new cabinet and security chiefs were to meet at noon today to discuss a response.

The bomber was identified as Abdullah Badran, 21, a university student who according to relatives had no history of militant activity.

Palestinian security officials said they were investigating whether Badran, was recruited by local militants from the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a violent group with ties to Abbas’ ruling Fatah movement, at the behest of Hezbollah.

The Lebanese group has stepped up efforts in recent weeks to disrupt the truce declared on February 8.

The bomber detonated a powerful bomb of about 30 kilos at about 11.30pm (9.30pm Irish time) among Israelis waiting outside the seaside nightclub Stage.

Police said the guards outside the club spotted the bomber and didn’t let him in. The explosion dispersed thousands of metal shards that had been packed into the bomb, cutting down people standing nearby.

The explosion ripped off the front of the nightclub, shattering windows of nearby restaurants and blackening cars.

The bodies of a young woman and the bomber lay under white plastic bags in a pool of blood and shattered glass covered the sidewalk. Three of the wounded died on their way to hospital, and 50 people were wounded, paramedics said.

Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz was to meet army chiefs after the end of the Jewish Sabbath at dusk on Saturday, but it appeared there would be no immediate Israeli retaliation.

Gideon Ezra, the police minister, said the Palestinians must “do much more to prevent such attacks”, but that contacts with the Palestinian Authority would continue.

Abbas pledged to track down those responsible for the attack, accusing them of trying to derail the peace process.

“The Palestinian Authority will not stand silent in the face of this act of sabotage,” Abbas said in a statement after holding an emergency meeting with his security chiefs. “We will follow and track down those responsible and they will be punished accordingly.”

There was no official claim of responsibility, but Palestinian officials and militant leaders said Hezbollah had orchestrated the attack. Asked whether Hezbollah was involved, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said: “I don’t know. I’m not sure.”

Hezbollah declined comment. “As far as we are concerned, there is no need to respond to such lies,” a Hezbollah official said in Beirut.

It was the first suicide bombing since the ceasefire declaration, as well as the first such attack since the death of long-time Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on November 11. The last suicide bombing killed three people in a Tel Aviv market on November 1.