CAIRO: Egypt and the Arab League condemned Tuesday the Palestinian suicide attack in Tel Aviv that killed nine people and called on both sides to return to the negotiation table. Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit described the attack as an act of terrorism, a strong condemnation from an Arab state that usually jointly blames both Israel and the Palestinians for the ongoing violence. Monday s suicide blast, which killed nine and wounded dozens outside a packed Tel Aviv fast-food restaurant, was carried out by a bomber from the Islamic Jihad militant group, but leaders from the Hamas militant group now in power have justified it as a response to the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians. Abul-Gheit strongly denied this claim in a statement issued Tuesday. Premeditated attacks on civilians contradict all tenets and laws, he said. Such attacks are part of hated acts of terrorism, regardless of any justification, Abul-Gheit said. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa also denounced the bombing and rejected targeting civilians on both the Palestinian and the Israeli sides. In the Gaza Strip, the Islamic Jihad celebrated the attack by handing out pastries in the streets. The Egyptian foreign minister called on both sides to adopt immediate measures to prevent the situation from deteriorating further and urged both parties to search a political settlement to the crisis. The resumption of negotiations is the best solution for the Palestinian and the Israelis to live in peace and security. President Hosni Mubarak, in a meeting with his party lawmakers on Tuesday, also warned against an escalation of violence and said Egypt had appealed to both Palestinians and Israelis to contain the situation. He promised to step-up Egypt s mediation efforts once newly elected Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had formed a coalition government - which could take several weeks - and when the Palestinian government crystallizes its opinion about the peace process. The Palestinian Hamas-led government has rejected all calls to recognize Israel and to continue the peace process. Contradicting the Egyptian authorities position, the state-controlled Al-Goumhuria newspaper on Tuesday praised the Tel Aviv bombing as a sacrificial and martyrdom attack. However, Egypt s largest state-controlled newspaper, Al Ahram, said in an editorial that the suicide attack is condemned by all means. AP
