MIDDLE EAST: A 19-year-old Jewish extremist, who deserted the army because of his refusal to take part in Israel's upcoming withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, yesterday opened fire on a bus, killing four Israeli Arabs before an angry mob beat him to death.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon condemned the shooting as "a sinful act by a bloodthirsty terrorist". A resident of the Arab town of Shfaram, where the shooting took place, said up to 15 passengers were on the bus at the time. A crowd around the bus, he said, tackled the shooter when he ran out of bullets and tried to insert a new magazine.
The incident is one of the nightmare scenarios security forces have been sketching in recent months, whereby a Jewish extremist carries out an attack on Arabs in a desperate bid to halt the planned pullout from Gaza by sparking widespread violence.
Security sources said the gunman, identified as Eran Tzuberi, had deserted several weeks ago and recently moved to the West Bank settlement of Tapuah. The settlement is considered one of the most extreme and is inhabited by supporters of Meir Kahane, a US-born rabbi who advocated expelling the Arabs. He was gunned down in New York in 1990.
Some Arab members of parliament blamed the government and the security establishment for being soft on Jewish extremists. "We are witnessing attempts by extreme right-wing people, terrorists, who want to set the region ablaze and feel they have freedom of action in light of the behaviour of the security, political and judicial establishment," said MP Mohammed Barakeh.
Government and security officials were worried last night that the attack might spark widespread rioting similar to the clashes five years ago in the north of Israel in which police shot dead 13 Arab citizens. Those clashes erupted along with the outbreak of the second intifada uprising.
In a statement Mr Sharon called the attack a "terror incident" and said it was "a deliberate attempt to harm the relations between citizens of Israel. Terror between civilians is the most dangerous thing for the future of Israel and its democratic stability".
Settler leaders were quick to denounce the attack. "Murder is murder is murder," said Bentsi Lieberman, head of the settler council. "There can be no other response but to denounce it completely and express revulsion."
The attack, which took place towards evening, happened as opponents of the withdrawal were ending their second major rally, in southern Israel.
Thousands of protesters headed home after some 20,000 police and soldiers blocked their attempts to march to Gaza.
The housing ministry, meanwhile, issued tenders yesterday for the construction of 72 homes in the settlement of Beitar Illit, near Jerusalem. The settlement is located in one of the West Bank blocs that Mr Sharon has said will remain part of Israel even once an agreement has been reached with the Palestinians.
Palestinian planning minister Ghassan al-Khattib said the announcement was "a provocation not only to the Palestinian people but also to the international community".