The past came screaming back to Jerusalem yesterday: A bomb exploded at a bus stop in the center of the capital, killing an Israeli civilian and wounding more than 20 others.
It was the first such attack in nearly four years, evoking painful memories of the days when blood regularly spilled on the floors of pizza parlors and malls.
While the world's eyes have turned to Libya and Egypt, the Palestinian rejectionists are seizing the moment, resuming their campaign to attack and terrorize the Israeli people.
To all those who laugh off the need for security checkpoints in the territories, this is why they're a must: because a hardened band of violent Palestinians will accept nothing but perpetual war.
The bomb - apparently a remote-control device - is only one weapon of choice.
Just hours before the Jerusalem attack, Hamas hit the Israeli city of Beersheba with two Katyusha missiles.
Will Israel respond in self-defense? Perhaps. It may have no choice. And the terrorists will relish the violence. They live to kill and die. They will consider their work done when Israel is history.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, a reasonable man among many unreasonable men, said the right thing:
"I harshly condemn this act of terror regardless of who is behind it," adding that the actions contradict his people's plan to "achieve freedom by peaceful means."
One wishes that sentiment were more widely shared.
