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Arafat dismisses attack as road accident

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February 15, 2001 

ANKARA-- (AP) - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat dismissed as a "road accident" the attack on an Israeli bus stop that killed eight Israeli soldiers and civilians and injured 20 others.

Arafat said that according to the information available "it was a road accident."

"Of course we are against the use of violence and killing in whatever capacity," Arafat added in a press conference in Ankara, Turkey's capital, where he held talks on the peace process with Turkish leaders.

Earlier in the day, Arafat had said the attack came in response to "Israel's military escalation which has a direct effect on the feelings of all the Palestinian people."

In the deadliest Palestinian attack on Israelis in nearly four years, a Palestinian driver crashed a bus into a bus stop crowded with Israeli soldiers and civilians during morning rush hour Wednesday.

Seven soldiers and a woman civilian were killed; three of the injured were fighting for their lives.

In a call to Israel radio, a man claimed responsibility on behalf of the Islamic militant group Hamas, which has carried out similar attacks in the past. However, relatives of the driver said he had no ties to Hamas.

In recent days, Israeli-Palestinian fighting has intensified, with Israel shelling Palestinian areas in response to Palestinian shooting attacks. On Tuesday, Israeli helicopter gunships killed a senior Palestinian security agent in a pinpointed attack.