By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday's bombing in a Tel Aviv fast-food restaurant was meant to derail next week's Palestinian parliament election.
"This is sabotage and aimed at sabotaging the elections, not only the elections, but also the security of Palestinians," Abbas told reporters at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
"The culprits must be punished," he said. "They aim to sabotage the elections and the efforts of the Palestinian Authority to impose law and order."
The bomber was sent by Islamic Jihad, the only one of the Palestinian factions to boycott the elections.