A Palestinian suicide bomber killed five people and wounded at least 50 in Netanya. Police spotted the bomber outside a shopping mall Monday and cornered him as he set off the bomb. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was retaliation for Israeli attacks on its leaders. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon convened his inner Cabinet after the attack, and Silvan Shalom, the foreign minister, said it was “more proof of the ineffectiveness of the Palestinian Authority.” Sharon has said he will not reconvene peace talks until the Palestinians meet their obligations to crack down on terrorism. Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, said he would take action after the attacks. The attack “against civilians causes the most serious harm to our commitment to the peace process and the Palestinian Authority will not go easy on whoever is proved to be responsible for this operation,” Abbas said in a statement.
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