"Of course it is important to have this support from the United States. But we don't want just verbal support. We want action. And now we see that the United States is just following what Israel wants."

Palestinian Group Says It Will Increase Bombings

Yasir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, today condemned the latest suicide bombing by the group, on Thursday in Jerusalem, and called for an end to attacks on civilians. But Mr. Badawi said the Aksa Brigades would ignore that.

"He does not support what we are doing," he said with a shrug, sitting on a sofa in his living room with a large-caliber pistol stuffed between the cushions just to his right. "But we believe this is our national responsibility. We respect our leader, but the decisions to carry out attacks remains with the Aksa Brigades leadership."

The group grew up last summer, starting here in the Balata refugee among members of Fatah, Mr. Arafat's movement, who did not believe that he was acting forcefully enough. Soon it spread throughout the West Bank and Gaza.

Mr. Badawi said, "The Palestinian people can now begin to believe that there is a force that can confront the Israeli force." The group decided to broaden its attacks, he added, because "we reached the conclusion that in Israeli society there are no civilians. We tried to create that separation, but then we see that even 12-year-old Israeli boys are given weapons."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/23/in