Although Israel is more than 7,000 miles away, the recent suicide bombings and killings there have affected students at the UA.

Diana Reiss, health education senior, is one of those students.

"It really breaks my heart. Innocent people are being killed over politics. I think it's the wrong way to get what the Hamas want.

"We take for granted what we have here in America. I don't think we have to worry about bombs going off where we're walking," Reiss said.

Hamas, an Islamic fundamentalist group, claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing that killed 14 and injured 130 outside a downtown Tel Aviv shopping center Monday and for three attacks that killed 44 victims and three suicide bombers in the nine days before the most recent bombing.

The last attack occurred on the Jewish holiday of Purim. The holiday celebrates the deliverance of the Jews of ancient Persia from a plot to slaughter them.

The violence of the last 10 days led Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres to declare "total war against Hamas."

Israeli support for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has waned in the wake of the bombings.

President Clinton, who supports the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, vowed to help prevent terrorist bombings in Israel.

Jason Israel, Judaic studies senior and co-chair of Wildpac, a group which tries to raise student awareness of events in Israel and supports the American relationship with the country, watched television news reports from his apartment Monday to check incoming developments of the bombing.

"It angers me because I've been there. Every street you see, I've walked through," Israel said, pointing at the television screen where images of shattered glass, wrecked cars and other debris covered the streets near the Dizengoff Center.

"When I see pictures like these, it burns me inside," Israel said.

Israel, who has family in Israel and "very close and dear friends" in Tel Aviv, said he checks his e-mail and calls them to make sure everyone is all right and safe after terrorist activity occurs.

"My worst nightmare, God forbid, is to get a phone call that a close relative or friend has been killed," he said.

Wildpac and the Hillel Foundation set up a table yesterday on the University of Arizona Mall to show support for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and for the victims killed in the bombings.

Emily Mallin, psychology senior and co-chair of Wildpac, said she hopes people will get interested in what is going on.

A yellow note pad was provided at the booth for students who wanted to write Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and express their support of the peace process or personal feelings about the bombings. Mallin also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Peres that she asked students to sign.

Abdelgadir Osman, president of the Tucson Islamic Center, said terrorist activity has been ongoing in Israel.

Islam, Osman said, is a religion of justice and peace.

"We're against any kind of terrorism, whatever it is. If it's done by Muslims or Jews or whatever group," he said. "I don't like it when reporters come to us and ask questions about terrorist activity, as if we're associated with it."

Although terrorist bombings and killings continue, Israel said he believes the peace process should go on.

"We shouldn't let extremists, such as Hamas, put a dent in the peace process in any way, shape or form."