Attack Shatters Calm in Mideast

The bombing in Tel Aviv jolted Israelis, comforted by four months of calm, out of a growing confidence that Palestinian violence was on the wane. Some commercial establishments had begun reducing security in light of the cease-fire, reflecting the rising optimism since the death in November of Yasser Arafat and the election last month of Abbas, a pragmatist who has called for an end to the intifada.

Just this week, however, Israeli police officials warned people not to grow complacent, noting that official "terror alerts" remained high and that attacks by Palestinian militants were still being planned, if not successfully executed.

At the Stage bar, the target of Friday's bombing, owner Yinon Fogel told Israeli media that he had not cut back on security and still employed four guards, one of them armed.

Lines outside the popular watering hole are long, and witnesses said at least one suspicious-looking man joined the line Friday night. Not long afterward, at about 11:30 p.m., a bomb spiked with nails ripped through the crowd. Body parts were strewn on the street, windows shattered and cars wrecked.

"There was a huge shock wave, and everything was collapsing around me," said Tom Shemesh, 27, who was working at his father's sidewalk kiosk next door. "I couldn't get out of the kiosk because bodies were blocking the way. Everything was just blown apart."

Young people wandered in the street, dazed, bloodied and crying. "We were very near to this bomb," said Meirav Ayash, 20. "Everybody was screaming, 'Pigua, pigua!' " -- Hebrew for terrorist attack.

The Tel Aviv promenade, one of the busiest spots in Israel on weekend evenings, has been a frequent target of suicide bombers. Attackers previously struck a disco in 2001, killing 21 people, and Mike's Place, a popular pub close to the U.S. Consulate, in 2003, leaving three dead.

The last suicide bombing to hit Israeli civilians also occurred in Tel Aviv, in a market, on Nov. 1. That attack killed three people.

Friday's bombing comes at a difficult time for Sharon, who is under fire from the right wing for his recently approved plan to dismantle Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip this summer. The attack is likely to give his foes more political ammunition, especially with a key budget vote coming up that could affect his withdrawal plans.