Learn what will happen during the tribulation period from beginning to end
Your comments and questions are always welcome. To send comments and questions please click here to go to our main page. Israeli source: Arafat-Powell meeting can proceed April 10, 2002 Posted: 1451 GMT HAIFA, Israel (CNN) -- A suicide bomber wearing a belt of explosives killed at least eight people and wounded 14 in a blast aboard an Israeli commuter bus near Haifa on Wednesday morning, police said. A witness said the explosion lifted the bus several feet into the air before it came down into a pile of smoldering wreckage. Rescue officials said bodies had been blown apart, making it difficult to determine exactly how many had been killed. Elsewhere, the Israel Defense Forces said hundreds of Palestinians, including armed militants, were giving themselves up at the refugee camp in the West Bank town of Jenin, the scene of fierce fighting in the past week. And the Israeli government has given the green light for a meeting Saturday between U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah, a government source said Wednesday. The source said Israel will pull its forces back from the compound where Arafat is being held in isolation. The source repeated Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's remark that the Israeli government views the Powell-Arafat meeting as a "tragic mistake." Powell will hold talks with Sharon in Jerusalem on Friday before going to Ramallah, the source said. The militant Islamic group Hamas claimed responsibility for the Haifa terror attack in a call to an Arabic-language news network. Hamas is a Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist organization that the U.S. State Department has labeled a terrorist organization. The group's military wing has admitted responsibility for terrorist attacks against the Israeli military and civilians, including a March 31 suicide bombing at a Haifa restaurant that killed 14 people. Wednesday's suicide bombing came as Israeli forces continued an offensive in the West Bank that began March 29. The Israeli operation started during a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings over the Passover holiday. Israel has said the campaign's goal is to destroy a "terrorist infrastructure." Israel's Security Cabinet voted Wednesday to continue the West Bank operation despite U.S. calls for a withdrawal from the Palestinian territories, Cabinet sources said. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Aryeh Mekel said those who carried out Wednesday's attack were trying to disrupt Powell's visit to the region. He pointed out that the bombing took place after Israeli forces withdrew Tuesday from two cities -- Qalqilya and Tulkarem. "There is no question that Israel has no choice. We cannot allow the Palestinians to continue and disrupt normal life in the state of Israel," he said. "Therefore, we have to continue and fight terror, destroy the infrastructure, and continue to protect the citizens." Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said West Bank towns are under Israeli siege -- a situation, he said, that will not provide security for Israel. "Sharon is leading you toward a disaster," he told CNN in a comment directed at the Israeli populace. Erakat said Israel must have a "responsible leadership." END I just finished listening to a brilliant speech by Benjamin Netanyahu. He will likely be the next Prime Minister of Israel. Although, Sharon is doing a good job for the people of Israel, this speech may have put him as the front running in the upcoming elections. In short, he stated that Israel would continue to weed out terrorism throughout the region. This is welcome news and better be adopted by all countries as of today. The nations of the world are all subject to the same system of terrorism that has plagued Israel. This is a matter of survival, and frankly, America better wake up before it hits their shores. Mr. Netanyahu rightfully defended Israel's right to defend itself and to expel all terrorists from its region. He condemned the European community for turning their backs on Israel, but truthfully, he expected that from them. He called for the destruction of the Saddam Hussein and Yassar Arafat regimes who are breeding human bombs and teaching acts of terrorism in their kindergarten classes. This military cleansing will continue and will come with much protest from the liberal cowards of the world. I truly believe that this will come to a boiling point and very soon a solution will have to come or all out war will invade the region. The U.S. is dead wrong and hypocrites for suggesting that Israel should exercise restraint when they know full well that if this happened in America they would be cleaning house throughout the world. We better open up our eyes and see what the truth is before it's too late. Pastor Malone