Jerusalem: Three people were killed and over 35 injured, some of them seriously, when a suicide bomber blew himself up on April 30 at a cafe in the Israeli capital Tel Aviv, shortly before new Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas vowed to crack down on militants after being sworn-in.

The bomber, who was killed in the blast, set off the explosives at the entrance to the Mike's Place bar after the security guard on duty at the door physically prevented him from entering, police said.

Israel said the "violent act" proved the new Palestinian government under Prime Minister Abbas "is an utter failure".

"This is the first test of the new Palestinian government, and so far it is an utter failure," Israeli government spokesman Dore Gold said.

Saeb Erekat, a member of Abbas' new Cabinet, condemned the attack and said the new government was "committed to its security obligations".

"The only way to stop…this cycle of violence is by reviving a meaningful peace process," Erekat said.

Hamas and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades – a militant offshoot of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement – told an international news agency that they carried out the attack jointly to avenge the death of a senior Palestinian militant, as well as to send a message to the new Palestinian government that "nobody can disarm the resistance movements without a political resolution".

The April 30 attack came hours after the Palestinian Parliament approved the new Cabinet of Abbas on April 29 to pave way for the unveiling of a "roadmap" to peace drafted by the US.

PTI