Suicide Bombing on Jerusalem Bus, Casualties Reported

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=4235470

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A suicide bomber blew himself up on a bus near Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's official residence in Jerusalem Thursday, causing many casualties, Israeli radio stations reported.

Off the wire

JERUSALEM (AP) - An explosion went off on a bus in Jerusalem on Thursday, near Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's official residence, and police said several people were killed and dozens wounded.

The blast went off on Gaza Street in downtown Jerusalem, about 100 meters from Sharon's residence. The explosion turned the bus into a twisted wreck. Glass was shattered everywhere and the roof was blown off.

...

Jerusalem Bomber Kills 10 As Swap Begins
1 hour, 35 minutes ago

By RAVI NESSMAN, Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM - A suicide bomber struck a bus Thursday in Jerusalem, killing 10 bystanders and wounding about 30 in an attack near Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites)'s official residence, police and paramedics said.

Nobody claimed responsibility. The explosion coincided with a German-brokered prisoner swap between Israel and the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, although it was not clear if the two were connected.

The explosion went off just before 9 a.m. in the Rehavia district in downtown Jerusalem, just 15 yards from Sharon's official residence. Sharon was at his farm in southern Israel at the time, his aides said.

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&e=1&u=/ap/20040129/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians

I never realized that the buses in Israel are used to transport IDF troops. I watched a PBS show called Globe Trekker recently. It's a travel show, and they did a show on Israel. The host went to the main bus terminal in Tel Aviv and rode the bus around to certain places in Israel. Apparently, there is an arrangement with the IDF for the buses to transport IDF troops, and they are one of the main ways of transporting troops. They said the buses are normally well populated with IDF troops, and the show included video of many of the IDF troops on the buses that Globe Trekker and its host, Justine Shapiro, took around the country.

I was kind of surprised to learn this. I have never seen this fact referred to in the mass media reports. The U.S. mass media makes it sound like the buses are used solely by innocent civilians, including the elderly, women and small children. I didn't know that the Israeli bus system is the main transport system for IDF troops that serve in the Occupied Territories and the Gaza Strip.

Here's a quote and a link to the site for the Globe Trekker show where this was shown and is talked about when telling how they travelled in Israel:

By Bus
The Egged bus company is one of the largest in the world and it's the easiest way to travel round the country. A month's Israbus pass costs about 140 US dollars.

The company has an arrangement with the Israeli Defence Force to transport soldiers to and from their bases, so the stations and buses are always packed with troops. In fact, in time of war, Egged acts as a back-up fleet transporting personnel and equipment.

http://www.globetrekkertv.co.uk/destination_guide/middle_east_and_north_africa/israel/travel.php

http://www.globetrekkertv.co.uk/destination_guide/middle_east_and_north_africa/israel/

I was just a little surprised about this and about seeing all the IDF troops on these buses in Israel.

Just the way it is.

Soldiers are allowed to ride free. This is not a country where every teenager considers a car to be a birthright. Cars cost approximately four times what they cost in the US. Gas also costs about four times as much. IDF soldiers initially make 300 shekels a month as their army pay. That amounts to $75.00 per month. I hope that explains to you why you will see so many IDF soldiers on the bus.

Soldiers travel regularly on public buses from home to base. The percentage of soldiers on any one bus, however, is usually small. Civilians fill most of the space on the buses. Occasionally a bus will have 10 or more troops.

The article mentions buses that were specifically for transport of troops. That is something else.

Civilians are the greatest number of casualties in bus bombings, and the soldiers are listed separately on IDF figures.

http://www.idf.il/english/news/jump_2_eng_300900.stm

Let's please keep I/P issues in the I/P forum. Thanks.