Debunking the News Myth that the Israel Suicide Bombing Was a Revenge Attack

The mainstream news is now now widely reporting that yesterday's Hadera suicide bombing was a retaliation for Israel's killing of top Islamic Jihad terrorist Luai Saadi two days earlier. Here, for example, are headlines from three major representative newspapers (the Washington Post, the Guardian and the Scotsman):

Suicide Bomber Kills Five in Market Attack: Blast is Reprisal for Death of West Bank Militant

Suicide Bomber Kills Five in Revenge Attack

Suicide Bomber Kills 5 Israelis in Promised Retaliation

Of course this attack is no exception to the rule that suicide bombings take more than two days to plan, as this story explicitly documents:

Hadera Attack Planned Prior to Islamic Jihad Leader's Death

Israeli security officials claim the Hadera attack was not carried out in response to the recent killing of Islamic Jihad leader Luai Sa'di, but was rather planned prior to it. "Such an attack requires more than two days worth of preparations," one official said. "They constantly try to carry out attacks, and today they succeeded, so they are calling it a revenge attack."