Suicide bomber rattles search for Mideast peace

An Israeli soldier walks past the remains of a bicycle used by a Palestinian suicide bomber     WEB EXCLUSIVE On the scene with Major Garrett in New York

In this story: Barak negotiating with hard-liners Ancient conflict RELATED STORIES, SITES

CNN Correspondents Jerrold Kessel, Rula Amin and Richard Blystone contributed to this report.

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- A young Palestinian man on a bicycle changed the tenor of Israeli-Palestinian conflicts in the Middle East on Thursday when he rode up to an Israeli army post in Gaza and blew himself up.

The explosion shattered what had been about 24 hours of relative calm in the monthlong stream of clashes between rock- and firebomb-hurling Palestinians and Israeli soldiers. On Wednesday, for the first time in a week, no fatalities were reported.

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At least 139 people -- nearly all of them Palestinians -- have been killed since the violence began following hawkish Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon's September 28 visit to a disputed east Jerusalem shrine.

The apparent suicide attacker was identified by Palestinian authorities as a 24-year-old student from Gaza with connections to the militant Islamic Jihad group. Thursday marks the fifth anniversary of the assassination of the Islamic Jihad leader, Fathi Shekaki, in an operation widely blamed on Israeli commandos.

An Islamic Jihad spokesman said that he was not surpized by the attack.

The assault occurred near the Gush Katif block of Jewish settlements in Gaza and prompted concerns that more such attacks could be on the way. Israeli security immediately requested cooperation from Palestinian security officials to make sure that doesn't happen.

The Israeli Defense Force said the man's bicycle was packed with five to seven kilograms (11 to 15 pounds) of explosives. The Palestinian was killed and an Israeli soldier was wounded.

The Israeli army commander in the Gaza Strip, Maj. Gen. Yomtov Samiya, told Israeli army radio that the bike rider "hit a wall ... and exploded" as he was "riding his bike toward a school."

Barak negotiating with hard-liners

The blast was framed by two other elements that could affect the ongoing search for peace: U.S. President Bill Clinton's latest offer to host separate meetings with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and the imminent announcement of Barak's new government.

Barak's coalition, shaky before the Camp David meetings in July, crumbled following the failure of those talks to reach an agreement.

With the Knesset set to reconvene on Monday, Barak has been in serious negotiations with Sharon's hard-line Likud party to form a national unity government -- a move Palestinians say will spell the end of the peace process.

Neither Barak nor Arafat responded to Clinton's suggestion that they come to Washington, although aides to both said they were warm to the idea.

Israeli and Palestinian security officials met in several areas on Wednesday, trying to find some way to end the violence. Some of those meetings were described as unproductive, but others were said to be "encouraging."

Ancient conflict

Sharon's visit to the spot Jews call the Temple Mount -- which the Arabs call Haram as-Sharif or Noble Sanctuary -- reopened millennia-old conflicts over control and ownership of the sacred site.

The site is home to the sole remaining segment of the Jews' ancient Temple of King Solomon as well as a pair of Islamic mosques marking the spot from which the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have ascended to heaven.

Of a political nature, the dispute centers on the Palestinians' claim to east Jerusalem as the capital of their independent state, while Israel insists that the city remain undivided and under its control.

Clinton invites Arafat to Washington
October 24, 2000
Barak and Sharon at odds on coalition government
October 23, 2000
More Middle East killings as Arab nations confer on crisis
October 21, 2000
Israel considers 'timeout' as Mideast clashes intensify
October 20, 2000
Israelis, Palestinians trade charges at U.N. session
October 18, 2000
Clashes in West Bank, Gaza blaze on despite agreement
October 17, 2000
Barak offers Sharon a role in Israeli government
October 13, 2000

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