Israel on alert for more terror; U.S. mediator to visit this week

JERUSALEM, Aug. 3 (JTA) — Israeli security forces have gone on high alert in the wake of warnings that more terrorist attacks may follow last week’s double suicide bombings in Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market. The warnings of a follow-up to the July 30 attack prompted Israeli security forces to deploy in large numbers forces around the country. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced, meanwhile, that the peace process would not resume without a Palestinian commitment to clamp down on terror. Israel and the Palestinians appeared to be readying to return to negotiations when the suicide bombers killed 13 people and wounded at least 170 others. After the attack, Israel suspended the planned resumption this week of joint committees that were to discuss implementing aspects of the 1995 Interim Agreement. In the aftermath of the bombing, it remained unclear whether recently announced American mediation efforts could bring the two sides back to the table any time soon. Israeli officials acknowledged over the weekend that it was possible the suicide bombers could have come from abroad, rather than from the self-rule areas. The Israel Defense Force chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Amnon Shahak, said the working assumption was that Hamas or another Islamic militant group was behind the attack and that Israeli security officials were detaining anyone who could possibly shed light on the perpetrators’ identities. Last week, both Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. Throughout the weekend, Israeli security officials were stationed in shopping malls, bus stations and other public areas in the country’s large cities. Spot security checks caused traffic tie-ups on the nation’s roads. With Israelis growing increasingly jittery about another attack, police said they received hundreds of reports about suspicious-looking people. Explosive experts were called in to neutralize bombs thought to be in unattended packages, which turned out to be harmless. The closure Israel imposed on the territories after the attack remained in effect this week, and Israeli security forces continued to round up suspected activists in Islamic militant organizations. Israeli and Palestinian officials met Saturday night to discuss the investigation into the bombing. Palestinian security officials said the contacts had only to do with the investigation, and that full security cooperation between the two sides had not resumed. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai told the Cabinet that the Palestinian Authority had yet to take steps to implement the wide-scale crackdown on the terrorist infrastructure in the territories that Israel had demanded. U.S. Special Middle East Coordinator Dennis Ross was due to arrive in the region later this week to discuss the new American proposals to renew Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, which have been frozen since March. Ross’ trip was postponed last week after the terrorist attack took place in Jerusalem. His return was scheduled for after the seven-day period of mourning had elapsed. President Clinton said last Friday that the success of Ross’ visit would determine when U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright would come to the region. Observers initially expected that Ross would press Israel to suspend settlement construction as part of a package to renew the negotiations. But in the wake of the terror attack, American officials believe that Israel will be unlikely to offer the Palestinians any conciliatory gestures, according to the Israeli daily Ha’aretz. American officials were reported to have revised the proposals Ross would present to the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, putting more emphasis on security issues. Just the same, Ross was still expected to raise the settlement issue, Ha’aretz reported. The last two funerals of the 13 victims from last week’s bombing were held Sunday. Mark Rabinovitz, 80, and Grigory Pesahovic, 15, both of Jerusalem, were laid to rest in the city’s Har Hamenuchot Cemetery.