Mideast bomb kills three

The scene of Wednesday's suicide bombing

In this story: U.S. vetoes observer resolution Violence 'a great error' RELATED STORIES, SITES

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Three people have been killed in an apparent suicide bombing at a school bus stop in central Israel near the border with the West Bank, officials say.

Four others are reported injured by the powerful blast, which took place between the Israeli city of Kfar Sava and the Palestinian city of Qalqilya, at around 7:30 a.m. local (0530 GMT) on Wednesday.

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CNN's Jerrold Kessel said one of those killed in the blast, about 1/2 mile from the so-called "green line" border between Israel and the West Bank, may be the suicide bomber.

The incident came the day after two bombings less than six hours apart rocked Jerusalem, killing one -- believed to be a suicide bomber -- and wounding at least 27.

Palestinian extremist groups claimed responsibility for both bombings.

In a separate incident Tuesday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said a Palestinian boy between 10 and 12 was shot in the chest and killed in the village of Dura near Hebron.

It was not immediately known who fired the shot.

The boy's death came a day after a 10-month-old Israeli girl was killed in Hebron.

A few minutes before Wednesday's blast, a bomb was discovered and defused in the open-air market in the coastal resort of Netanya, where a suicide bomber and three other people were killed in an explosion about two weeks ago.

U.S. vetoes observer resolution

The United States late Tuesday vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution that would have urged the creation of an international observer force to protect civilians in the West Bank and Gaza.

After five days of intense negotiations, non-aligned nations supporting the Palestinians stopped discussing any changes in the text and pushed the measure to a vote.

Sponsors of the measure said they wanted a vote before the end of the Arab summit in Amman Wednesday.

The United States issued the veto in support of Israel, which is firmly opposed to a U.N. observer force.

The final tally was 9-1, with four abstentions and Ukraine not voting. In favor were Bangladesh, Singapore, Tunisia, Mauritius, Mali, Jamaica, Colombia, Russia and China. France, Britain, Norway and Ireland abstained.

Violence 'a great error'

Israeli leader Ariel Sharon said Tuesday that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat bore the responsibility for the violence because he had "not instructed his forces to stop terror."

The former Israeli general pledged "restraint" in his dealings with the Palestinians, but promised "to take care of" the violence in the absence of action from Arafat.

Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said the violence was "a great error" that could only damage the fragile peace process.

Nearly 500 people, most of them Palestinians, have been killed since the latest round of Israeli-Palestinian violence began on September 28, after peace talks aimed at ending the five-decade old conflict fell apart during the summer.

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Jerusalem bombs kill one, injure 27
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The Israeli Prime Minister's Office
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Palestinian National Authority
Israel Defense Forces

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