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P.A. AN IDF TARGET: ARAFAT UNDER INCREASING INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE TO FIGHT TERROR SUICIDE BOMBER BLOWS HIMSELF UP YESTERDAY IN CAPITAL: MIRACLE - NO LOSS OF LIFE
 Scene of suicide bombing in Haifa The IDF launched a focused campaign this week against symbols of Palestinian Authority rule, signaling to Arafat that his days of grace are over and he must immediately take action against terrorist organizations and arrest perpetrators. The signal was given following three dreadful terror attacks on Saturday night at the Ben-Yehuda pedestrian mall in the center of Jerusalem, and one in Haifa on Sunday. In those attacks and in an additional attack in southern Israel, 26 people were murdered and more than 200 children, elderly, new immigrants and foreign workers were wounded, in a period of 24 hours. A suicide bomber blew himself up yesterday at the corders of King David and Agron streets in downtown Jerusalem. Miraculously, noone was killed and only six passersby were lightly wounded. In Saturday night's 3-pronged terror attack on Ben-Yehuda in Jerusalem, two suicide bombers blew themselves up one after the other, and immediately afterward, a nearby car-bomb exploded. In Haifa on Sunday afternoon, a suicide bomber boarded Bus No. 16 in the Halisa neighborhood, where Jews and Arabs live side-by-side. He wore a jacket, did not carry any bags, and appeared clean and calm. Immediately after boarding the bus, he blew himself up, killing 15 innocent passengers. These attacks came in the midst of a visit by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to the United States. He met there with U.S. President George Bush, describing the part of the Palestinian Authority in the recent escalation of violence. Returning to Israel immediately after the meeting of the two leaders, he led to the Government's decision to adjust Israel's policy toward Arafat. Israel declared the Palestinian Authority a terror-supporting entity, thereby giving legal justification to military action against it. Immediately thereafter, the Israel Air Force destroyed Yaaser Arafat's helicopters in Gaza, while he was in Ramallah. The next target was Palestinian Forces headquarters at Arafat's office. The Israeli action achieved the understanding of President George Bush. The administration issued a presidential decree freezing Hamas assets, signaling to Arafat that he too is not impervious if he does not take swift action against the organization. Officials in Jerusalem indicated that the terror attacks were planned during the visit to the region of General Anthoni Zinni, and that 39 civilians had been murdered in the last three weeks alone. According to the same sources, the Prime Minister's "declaration of war" is none other than a reaction to the real war begun without declarations by the Palestinians themselves. In Israel, an increasingly large segment of the population is calling for Arafat's elimination and for continuous military action against his forces to impose tranquility.
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