NETANYA, Israel — A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up and killed three Israelis at a bustling intersection Sunday, the second lethal explosion in four days as militant Islamic groups vowed more attacks against Israel's incoming government.
With Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon preparing to assume power, possibly this week, the bombings have shown that Israel remains vulnerable despite sealing off Palestinian areas in a bid to keep out militants.
Sharon, a former general who says he will restore security to Israel after five months of fighting, said "the terror attack is a very serious one that shows that the Palestinian Authority is not taking the necessary steps" to halt violence.
"We know very well that the most loyal forces of (Palestinian leader Yasser) Arafat are involved in attacks," Sharon said. He did not directly link Arafat loyalists to Sunday's bombing.
The Palestinian attacker detonated the bomb just before 9 a.m. at a corner in the coastal resort town of Netanya. The force hurled a car into the air, shattered shop windows and crumpled street stalls in the central market area. The Israeli dead included an 85-year-old man, his niece, and another woman, Israeli officials said.
Police scoured the streets for evidence while volunteer Jewish Orthodox men picked up pieces of flesh on the bloodied street to ensure a proper Jewish burial for the dead Israelis.
Israel has been hit by multiple bombings since the Israel-Palestinian fighting began in September, contributing to a general sense of vulnerability. A taxi van bombing Thursday in northern Israel killed an Israeli man and wounded nine others, including the bomber.
No one claimed responsibility for the latest blast, but the two leading Islamic militant groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, both have said they would carry out attacks to undermine Sharon's government.
Israel has sought to prevent Palestinian militants from entering Israel by imposing a blanket closure on all Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The measure has strangled the Palestinian economy, kept 120,000 Palestinians from commuting daily to their jobs in Israel and heightened tensions between the sides.
The closure has not halted Palestinian attacks, but Israel says opening the borders would make it easier for Palestinians to slip into Israel.
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