November 29, 2002	Friday	Ramazan 23, 1423

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TEL AVIV, Nov 28: At least six Israelis were killed on Thursday in a shooting and grenade attack on a polling station of the ruling Likud party, which was electing its new leader in primaries.

Another 15 people were wounded, 10 seriously.

The attack targeted the Likud headquarters in the northern Israeli town of Beit Shean, located in a finger of Israeli territory between the West Bank and Jordan.

Two men, who sprayed automatic gunfire and threw grenades at people queuing up to vote, were shot dead by police, a spokesman said.

Public television said one of the dead attackers was wearing an explosives belt.

“They were firing like mad on the voters. The shots hit the voters queuing up outside the station,” said Raphy Ben Sheetrit, the head of the local Likud office.

“There was screaming and crying coming from the nearby kindergarten,” he said, adding that the area had been sealed off.

Likud members across the country were casting their ballots in 678 polling stations to choose between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Binyamin Netanyahu too lead their party to the next general election.—AFP