LEADERS of the Hamas fundamentalist group last night hailed the "heroic martyr" whose bomb in a crowded Tel Aviv cafe killed three women and himself.
Hamas spokesmen said violence was the only language that Israel understood. In some parts of Gaza and the West Bank Palestinians cheered the "good news".
As the leader of the Palestine Authority, Mr Yasser Arafat, and other Palestinian officials condemned the killings, both Israelis "and Palestinians were unanimous in the view that the peace process is in its most critical phase.
Yesterday's attack, on the eve of the Jewish festival of Purim, also injured 42 people. Three were in a critical condition last night.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, accused Mr Arafat and his Palestinian Authority of giving Muslim fundamentalists "a green light" to resume terrorist attacks. Palestinian officials rejected this as "utterly untrue".