Friday October 5, 2001

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon aimed direct words at the United States yesterday after a string of Palestinian attacks, urging Washington not to "appease" Arab states at Israel's expense.

Sharon stopped just short of canceling a U.S.-backed cease-fire, but said that Israeli security forces would do whatever is necessary to protect Israeli citizens. "From now on we will count only on ourselves," he told a news conference.

Sharon's remarks indicated a shift in policy that could undercut Washington's efforts to bring Arab and Muslim states into an international coalition against Islamic militants suspected of carrying out the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States.

The prime minister said Israel would fight terrorism without letup, dropping Israel's earlier promise to suspend military strikes against Palestinians as part of a truce deal sought by Washington.

The tough words followed an attack by a Palestinian gunman, who killed three Israelis at a bus station in northern Israel before he was gunned down.

The attack in the city of Afula, just across from the West Bank town of Jenin, came just minutes after senior Israeli and Palestinian officials completed an apparently fruitless meeting about implementing the latest truce, declared Sept. 26 to try to end a year of fighting. Sharon told a news conference that the cease-fire has not stopped violence "even for a minute."

Since the cease-fire was declared, 21 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, and five Israelis have been killed in two attacks by Palestinian militants.

Sharon said, "do not try to placate the Arabs at Israel's expense. We are not Czechoslovakia," a reference to a 1937 decision by Britain and France to allow Nazi Germany to take over the east European country in exchange for a promise of peace that was quickly broken.

In the latest violence, a Palestinian disguised as an Israeli soldier opened fire in the central bus station in the northern Israeli town of Afula yesterday, killing three bystanders before being shot dead by police guards.

Wearing an Israeli army uniform complete with a paratrooper's beret folded on his shoulder strap, the gunman entered the bus station and began firing an assault rifle at bystanders, witnesses said.

A 76-year-old man was killed instantly and two women died of wounds later in

hospitals, doctors said. Another 14 were wounded.

A soldier told Israel Army Radio that he saw the gunman and approached him along with two policemen. They fired at him and killed him, the soldier said - but he added that the fact that the gunman was dressed as a paratrooper caused a delay of a few precious seconds before security forces reacted. Israel Radio reported that police found a Palestinian ID card and a letter in Arabic on the

body of the gunman. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. However, Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer held Palestinian leader Yasser

Arafat responsible. "If he wants, he can take control of this," Ben-Eliezer said.

Also , a Palestinian was killed in an exchange of fire in the West Bank town of Hebron, where gunmen shot at Jewish holiday visitors for the second day in a row.

The bus station assault came minutes after the end of a high-level truce meeting, itself delayed a day because of earlier violence.

Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres met with two top Palestinian negotiators, Parliament Speaker Ahmed Qureia and Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat, but the session largely degenerated into mutual accusations of truce violations, both sides said.

At the meeting in an undisclosed location in Jerusalem, Erekat charged that Israel has not carried out its part - removing roadblocks in the West Bank and Gaza and pulling troops back from Palestinian cities and towns. "So far the Israelis haven't implemented anything," he said.

Peres complained about Palestinian gunfire incidents. "They must do everything they can to stop violence and live up to their commitments," Peres said later.

In Hebron yesterday, Palestinians opened fire on Israeli visitors to the city from a hilltop across from the city's disputed holy site - the burial cave of the biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - which is holy to Muslims and Jews. No one was hurt as the Israelis threw themselves to the ground.