Israeli Soldier Kills 4 On Bus

Gunman Protesting Gaza Pullout Then Stoned To Death By Angry Mob

(CBS/AP)  Extremist opposition to Israel's impending pullout from Gaza and part of the West Bank spilled over into deadly violence when a soldier boarded a bus in an Arab town and opened fire, killing the driver and three passengers, all Israeli Arabs, and wounding several others.

The military identified the soldier as Eden Natan-Zada, 19. A mob of enraged residents stoned him to death Thursday after the shooting.

CBS News reports that the gunman had deserted his army unit in protest over the upcoming pullout from Gaza and was spending time in a radical West Bank settlement.

His father said Natan-Zada had been ordered to help prepare for the pullout.

For months, Israeli security has been warning that as the mid-August pullout nears, desperate extremists might try to sabotage it by attacking Arabs and diverting forces.

“This is no longer a theory,” commented broadcaster David Zilberstein on Army Radio late Thursday.

Meanwhile, two weeks before it is slated to begin its pullout, Israel says it will expand a Jewish settlement in the West Bank.

The plan to build 72 housing units in the Beitar Illit settlement is liable to put Israel on a collision course with the U.S. government, which opposes settlement expansion. The announcement immediately angered Palestinians, who claim the West Bank as part of a future state.

Police commissioner Moshe Karadi said forces had been diverted to deal with an anti-pullout demonstration in Israel's south, leaving the north short-handed. “We have sent forces from the center and those from the south who were supposed to be going home have now been diverted to the north,” he said.

Karadi warned the attack could trigger additional violence. In Jerusalem, ahead of Muslim Sabbath prayers on Friday, police have raised their level of alert and pledge to foil attempts to ignite violence.

Israeli Arabs plan to hold a strike, demonstrations and a memorial gathering in Shrafam on Friday.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon issued a strongly worded statement, condemning the attack as “a despicable act by a bloodthirsty terrorist.” He called for calm.

Many right-wing Israelis are furious with Sharon because of his plan to evacuate Jewish settlements in Gaza. CBS News Correspondent David Hawkins reports that they’ve tried all sorts of ways to stop it — including a candlelight ceremony to put a curse (video) on Sharon.

After the bus attack, the gunman's body lay on the floor of the bus, his head covered with a black plastic bag. His shirtless upper torso was heavily bruised and bloodied.