Sharon to address Knesset

JERUSALEM, Israel (CNN) -- Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon is set to present his broad-based national unity government to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.

The coalition ranges from the powerful religious party Shas to the Labor Party on the left.

Sharon -- who came to power promising to restore Israelis' sense of security -- has ordered troops to step up security as an upsurge in violence continues.

Four people were killed on Sunday in a suicide bomb attack in the Mediterranean resort city of Netanya.

The armed wing of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Ezzedin al-Qassam, admitted responsibility for the bombing on Tuesday in a statement faxed to news organizations.

The statement read: "We said that 10 'kamikazes' of the Ezzdin al-Qassam group were ready for martyrdom in heroic operations, and we kept our promise on Sunday. The hero and martyr Ahmad Omar Alian, 23, was the first hero."

In his Knesset address on Wednesday, Sharon is expected to outline his government's goals and introduce his ministers and their positions.

AUDIO CNN's Jerrold Kessel: This is perhaps the bloodiest weekend in the ongoing conflict 1 Mb/94 secs. AIFF or WAV sound   RESOURCES Mideast Peace   TIMELINES Recent acts of violence in the Middle East:   • Bombings   • Activist deaths

The Knesset will then vote on a confidence motion. If it passes a vote of confidence, Sharon will assume the premiership.

Sharon secured a solid parliamentary majority for his government on Monday, when a small party representing immigrants from the former Soviet Union signed on.

The agreement with the Israel B'Aliya party means Sharon will have a government of at least 68 members of the 120-seat Knesset.

He has demanded that all violence stops before peace talks resume, but he has not outlined what measures he would take to end the clashes.

Israeli troops have tightened security and reinforced the border between Israel and Palestinian-ruled territories after a weekend of violence.

Troops replaced police in public places as Israel aims to prevent further attacks inside its borders and the incoming government weighs up how to respond to the latest violence.

Sharon called for calm following Sunday's bombing, which killed an 84-year-old man, his 58-year-old niece and a 70-year-old woman along with the bomber. At least 68 others were wounded in the second fatal explosion in four days.

The incoming leader also called on Israelis to show restraint and to avoid taking the law into their own hands after a mob beat and seriously injured a Palestinian man near the scene of the bombing. Police arrested one person and were looking for three others in the attempted lynching.

Sharon has accused Yasser Arafat 's Palestinian Authority of direct involvement in attacks on Israel.

Israeli political analyst Chemi Shalev said: "The situation is grave from an Israeli point of view, probably on the verge of an explosion.

"There's a consensus both in the security establishment and in public opinion, and among most ministers in the government, that Israel needs to escalate its response to Palestinian terror."

Before Sunday's bombing, more than five months of Israeli-Palestinian clashes had claimed the lives of 377 Palestinians, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, and 62 Israeli Jews, 13 Israeli Arabs and one German, according to Israel Defence Forces.

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Israel steps up security
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Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Israeli Prime Minister's Office
Israel Defense Forces
Palestinian National Authority

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