Prepare for all hell to break loose in the Mid-East. The Roadmap To Peace is
dead.

This is just the beginning of a serious and deadly escalation in the
killings from both sides.

My guess is that Arafat is going to be killed next. From there it'll be a
no-holds barred wide open conflict where neither side will even bother to
justify the killings.

The international community will try in vain to step in but they'll be
talking to themselves. Neither side has any interest in peace. The
Palestinians can't reign in or control the suicide bombings and Israel
hasn't the willpower to remove or even halt settlements in Palestinian areas

/ex

================================================.

Suicide bomber kills 18 in Haifa
Associated Press

Jerusalem - A Palestinian woman blew herself up in a crowded seaside
restaurant at lunchtime Saturday, killing 19 people including three
children. It was one of the deadliest attacks in the past three years and
prompted new calls for Yasser Arafat's expulsion.

About 40 people were wounded in the attack on the Maxim Restaurant, co-owned
by Arabs and Jews in the Mediterranean port of Haifa, an ethnically mixed
and tolerant city but also a frequent target for suicide attackers - perhaps
because they can easily blend in. Both Arabs and Jews were at the restaurant
at the time.

The militant group Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the bombing and
said the attacker was 20 years old. The Sabbath attack also came a day ahead
of Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, the holiest day on the Jewish
calendar.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called his advisers for an emergency
meeting, and Israel Radio quoted his army chief, Lieutenant-General Moshe
Yaalon, as saying there would be a "harsh" response to the bombing after
nightfall Saturday.

On Sept. 11, the Israeli Cabinet decided to "remove" Mr. Arafat, implying
expulsion or assassination. Mr. Sharon has hinted that Israel might act
against the Palestinian leader in response to an attack with many
casualties.

The United States opposes expelling Mr. Arafat, and Israel's security chiefs
are divided on the issue.

A senior U.S. official said last week that Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan
Shalom had told Secretary of State Colin Powell that Israel would consult
with the United States before acting against Mr. Arafat. By midday Saturday,
the same official said, Israel had made no such approaches to Washington.

Mr. Sharon and Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz -- who has spoken in favor of
expulsion - have the final say and do not need cabinet approval to take
action against Mr. Arafat.

Israeli Health Minister Dan Naveh said Israel must not hesitate.

"This awful attack today is definitely an opportunity, the correct
opportunity, to implement the cabinet decision to get rid of Arafat," he
said. "It is clear to all of us that he is the biggest obstacle to reach
better days."

The chief Palestinian negotiator with Israel, Saeb Erekat, said he is
"worried about an Israeli action against President Arafat or against the
Palestinian people that may just add to the complexities."

The explosion went off shortly after 2 p.m. at Maxim Restaurant, near a
major junction at the southern entrance to Haifa. Police said 20 people were
killed, including the attacker.

"There were not a lot of wounded, just a lot of people strewn on the ground.
There was nothing to do, no way to help them," said a motorist who went to
the scene, identified only as Navon. He said several children were among the
dead. A police official told Agence France-Presse that five children had
been killed.

The blast blew out windows. Walls inside were riddled with holes, wires
dangled from the ceiling, and clusters of pipes were exposed. Chunks were
blown off pillars throughout the restaurant.

Some reports said the bomber shot and killed a security guard at the
entrance before rushing into the restaurant. If confirmed, would be a change
in tactics. In the past, several bombers were stopped outside restaurants,
cafes and shopping malls by security guards. Police Commissioner Shlomo
Aharonishki said it was not clear whether shots were fired. However, a
person dressed in the reflective vest commonly worn by security guards was
seen lying face down on the front steps.

The incoming Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, condemned Saturday's
bombing as an "ugly attack" and urged Palestinian groups to stop violence
against civilians. Mr. Qureia also called the Haifa mayor, Yona Yahav, to
express his condemnation.

David Baker, an official in Sharon's office, said the blast shows that "the
Palestinian Authority continues to refuse to take even minimal steps against
the terrorist infrastructure."

The attack came despite a blanket closure Israel had imposed Friday on the
West Bank and Gaza Strip ahead of Yom Kippur, which begins at sundown Sunday
and ends at sundown Monday. Such closures are generally imposed during
Jewish holidays because of increased concerns about attacks by Palestinian
militants in such periods.

It was the first suicide bombing since twin attacks killed 15 people on
Sept. 9, near an army base outside Tel Aviv and at a Jerusalem coffee shop.
Those attacks prompted the cabinet's threat against Mr. Arafat. Saturday's
bombing brought to 103 the number of suicide bombings in the past three
years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting. At least 431 people have been killed
in these attacks.

Earlier, the violent Hamas group declared that a security barrier Israel is
building around the West Bank would not stop suicide bombers. The militant
group also said it would continue to send Palestinians to blow themselves up
inside Israel.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031004.wsuic1004_4/BNStory/International/