Suicide attack kills 19 in restaurant

A Palestinian woman wrapped in explosives blew herself up in a beachfront restaurant popular with Arabs and Jews, killing 19 bystanders, including four children.

The attack prompted new demands in Israel to "remove" Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

The attack on Saturday lunchtime, one of the deadliest in three years of violence, came despite strict military precautions a day before the start of Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

Israeli helicopters attacked in two places in Gaza in apparent retaliation for the bombing. No causalities were reported in either strike. In Gaza City, missiles struck a small, empty house, while in the Boureij refugee camp, the Israelis targeted the house of an Islamic Jihad leader, but residents said he escaped.

The military said it targeted two Hamas weapons caches.

Fearing another strike, Palestinian officials appealed to international mediators to ensure Arafat's safety.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called his advisers for an emergency meeting last night. The vice premier, Ehud Olmert, said Israel faces tough decisions and, if necessary, would carry them out regardless of international opinion. "The world will have to accept our decisions," Olmert said. The meeting lasted three hours and no decisions were announced.

Despite a Cabinet decision last month to "remove" Arafat at an unspecified time, Israel might shy away expelling the Palestinian leader because of strong U.S. opposition. Israel might settle for a lesser step, such as tightening Arafat's isolation at his battle-scarred West Bank headquarters, to which he has been confined for nearly two years.

An Israeli Foreign Ministry official said the next two days would be crucial for the survival of a U.S.-backed peace plan, suggesting Israel might not take any immediate drastic action.

Arafat condemned the attack and said it endangered Palestinian interests. Incoming Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia called Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav to express his condolences.

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