RAMALLAH, West Bank, June 2 — Palestinian President Yasser Arafat condemned a suicide bomb attack in which 17 people were killed while waiting outside a Tel Aviv nightclub, his spokesman said on Saturday.
Speaking on behalf of Arafat, the spokesman told Reuters: "The president condemns such attacks especially against civilians and calls on all sides to show self-restraint."
"We also call for an end to the military escalation and siege and all forms of violence and a return to the negotiations in order to achieve a just and comprehensive peace," said the spokesman, who declined to be named.
A Palestinian official said this was the first time since a Palestinian uprising began in September that Arafat had called for restraint from his own side. Arafat and his colleagues have frequently called for an immediate halt to violence by Israeli troops in occupied areas.
U.S. President George W. Bush had urged Arafat to condemn "the heinous terrorist attack" in Tel Aviv and to call for an immediate ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared a unilateral ceasefire almost two weeks ago.
The Palestinians have dismissed Sharon's ceasefire as a propaganda ploy.
Palestinian speaker repeats condemnation
Palestinian parliamentary speaker Ahmed Korei earlier told al-Jazeera satellite television the Palestinian Authority opposed the killing of civilians.
"We have said time and again that we are against killing civilians, whether they are Israelis or Palestinians," he said.
"The Israeli government should sit down and think thoroughly...accepting the Egypt-Jordanian initiative and the recommendations of the Mitchell committee."
He was referring to peace proposals by Egypt and Jordan, and recommendations by the inquiry committee led by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell. Israel says it accepts the Mitchell report and the Egyptian-Jordanian proposals, but opposes calls for a total freeze on Jewish settlement construction.
Sharon's spokesman said Arafat should be blamed for failing to do more to prevent attacks such as the one on the Tel Aviv nightclub.
"The finger is pointing only in one direction and that is the chairman of the Palestinian Authority (Yasser Arafat) and the Palestinian leaders...in their responses to our call for a ceasefire," said spokesman, Raanan Gissin.
It was unclear whether Sharon's ceasefire would hold after the deadliest bombing in Israel in five years and the bloodiest attack since a Palestinian revolt against Israeli occupation erupted last September after peace talks stalled.
Sharon was expected to convene a meeting of top ministers on Saturday amid mounting pressure from Israelis to retaliate and abandon his declared ceasefire.
Israeli police said 17 people were killed and around 90 wounded when a suicide bomber walked into a crowd of teenagers waiting outside a seaside nightclub in Tel Aviv and blew himself up.
At least 450 Palestinians, 108 Israelis and 13 Israeli Arabs have been killed since the uprising erupted.