White House condemns bombing in Israel's Eilat

WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) The White House condemned the suicide bomb attack in Eilat, Israel, that killed three people today and said the Palestinian Authority was responsible for preventing such attacks.

''Failure to act against terror will inevitably effect relations between that government and the international community and undermine the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own,'' White House spokesman Tony Snow said in a statement.

Islamic Jihad, al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and the previously unknown ''Army of Believers'' claimed joint responsibility for the bombing that hit the popular Red Sea resort on the southern end of Israel.

The Islamic Jihad and the Aqsa brigades said the bombing was a response to Israeli ''attempts to defile al-Aqsa mosque'' in Jerusalem, a reference to recent archeological excavations. Israeli officials said the work had not damaged the shrine.

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