Washington ? The White House has added a new term to its Middle East descriptions: homicide bombings.

That’s how White House spokesman Ari Fleischer has begun referring to bombing attacks in Israel, including Friday’s, in which a woman detonated explosives she was wearing, killing shoppers at a market.

“The president condemns this morning’s homicide bombing,” Fleischer said. He also called on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to “speak out and denounce today’s homicide attack.”

When asked why he used the term, Fleischer replied that it better captures the nature of the violence.

“These are not suicide bombings. These are not people who kill just themselves,” Fleischer said.

CNN and MSNBC used the phrase “suicide bomber” to refer to Friday’s attack. ABC News also plans to stick with “suicide bomber” in its news reports, a spokesman said.