A bomb placed in a restaurant in the West Bank town of Kalkilya wounded 15 persons Saturday. Nine of the victims were Israeli Jews, and five were Israeli Arabs, including a two-year-old boy and a local Arab resident. None was seriously hurt.
A curfew was clamped on the town immediately after the incident and security forces searched the area. The injured were hospitalized and sent home after treatment.
According to witnesses, a man described as an Arab ordered lunch at the restaurant and then went to a kiosk across the street to buy cigarettes. He left behind a small parcel concealing a pipe bomb. It exploded several minutes later, spraying the restaurant with shrapnel.
Kalkilya, an Arab town close to the Israel-West Bank demarcation line, has been a popular shopping center for Israelis, particularly on Saturdays, when Israeli shops are closed. It had been free of incidents until Jewish settlers rampaged there in May, protesting attacks on Jewish vehicles in the area.
Mayor Abdel Rahman Abu Sneiner denounced the bombing. He said businesses would have to closed were it not for Israelis who shop and dine at local restaurants.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
