Bus bomb leaves 20 dead as Israel asks: what next?

Jerusalem was both in mourning and on high alert after a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up on a crowded bus, killing 19 other people in the deadliest attack in the city for six years.

The attack came as the Middle East was anxiously awaiting a speech from George Bush on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, but there were few signs that the US President would offer a formula to lead the region away from bloodshed, fear and misery.

Israel's immediate response began at nightfall when up to 40 army vehicles including tanks and helicopter gunships moved into the West Bank Palestinian stronghold of Jenin, cutting it off from a nearby refugee camp.

Overnight, large numbers of Israeli tanks and troops entered the city of Nablus from all directions as helicopters flew overhead.

Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, convened an emergency meeting of his Cabinet which later issued a statement saying Israel would respond by "capturing Palestinian Authority territory". Promising a change in the way Israel retaliated to "murderous acts", it said captured areas would be held as long as terror attacks continued.

Jerusalem's Israeli population has suffered countless bombing and shooting attacks in the past 21 months, but yesterday's events were on a horrifying scale not seen here during the current intifada.

The suicide bomber, from the Islamic-nationalist Hamas movement, was armed with a weapon powerful enough to destroy the bus. The devastation was similar to the previous suicide attack on a bus, when 17 Israelis, mostly young soldiers, were killed two weeks ago in northern Israel, close to the line that divides it from the West Bank.

This time, Mr Sharon visited the scene in person, sombre-faced and angry as he inspected the damage.

Rescue workers had laid out the bodies on the pavement, covering them with black plastic. A pair of white socks poked out of one, dusty-looking labourer's boots from beneath another. One foot had shed a woman's slip-on shoe. These were ordinary working people, many forced to travel on the buses, despite the threat of bombings, because they lacked the money for a car.

Mr Sharon's remarks, before an array of television cameras at the scene, betrayed his concerns at what President Bush might say on a two-state solution. "These horrible scenes of these murderous acts by the Palestinians are stronger than any words," he said. "It is interesting to wonder what kind of Palestinian state they want. What are they talking about?"

Mr Arafat's Palestinian Authority swiftly issued a statement in Arabic condemning attacks on civilians, both Israeli and Palestinian, but denying responsibility. But its words did no more to deflect the blame levelled against it by Israeli officials than a host of other statements from Palestinian officials yesterday, attributing the violence to Israel's tightening occupation and calling for a return to negotiations.

The bomber appears to have detonated the device almost immediately after boarding the Number 32 Egged bus. It was crowded with passengers, including schoolchildren, and had set out shortly beforehand from Gilo, a Jewish settlement built on occupied territory on Jerusalem's southern flank.

He struck as the bus was trundling down a dual carriageway just before a junction on the edge of Pat, a blue-collar area in west Jerusalem. Michael Lasri, 15, said: "I saw him for only a few seconds, from the moment he got on the bus till the moment he blew himself up. I saw a lot of bodies and body parts lying around. There was a lot of mess. For the first few minutes, there was a lot of shouting, then silence.''

Israeli officials released the names of 11 of the dead last night. One was elderly, aged 72. Three were middle-aged, and one ­ named as Galila Ruga ­ was only 11 years old.

Hamas's military wing, the Izzadin Qassam Brigade, pledged to dispatch more suicide bombers. "Our martyrdom operation will continue as long as the occupation continues,'' it said.