Suicide bomber kills five in Tel Aviv; Israel sends tanks into Arafat's headquarters

The Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel - A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up on a crowded Tel Aviv bus killing five other people yesterday and Israeli tanks roared back into Yasser Arafat's West Bank compound. The violence snuffed out the hope that after a six-week lull the conflict was winding down.

The nail-studded bomb scorched the bus and sent passengers fleeing out of shattered windows, as the vehicle lurched forward for 50 feet on the downtown boulevard, the driver's burned body slouched over the wheel. Forty-nine people were wounded.

Hours later, tanks moved in and fired in the direction of the Palestinian leader's battered office as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon convened his Cabinet in emergency session, fueling speculation about whether he intended to confine Arafat to the building or perhaps to expel him from the West Bank.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, though media reported conflicting claims from the militant Islamic Jihad and Hamas groups. The attack - along with a suicide bombing Wednesday that killed an Israeli policeman - ended a relative lull that lasted six weeks and raised hopes that two years of violence might be winding down. The burst of violence came after Israel turned down a Palestinian offer for a phased cease-fire.