JERUSALEM — A suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded pedestrian mall near Tel Aviv’s old central bus station today, and at least 10 people were wounded, police said.

A witness, who identified himself only as Itzik, said he was eating at a fast-food stand when he began suspecting the man standing next to him.

“All of a sudden, a policeman came. He pulled him (the suspect) out, and started searching him,” he told Israel Radio. The suspect fled, Itzik said, and five minutes later, the explosion was heard.

The blast came a week before Palestinian parliament elections, and two weeks after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a devastating stroke. Handling the aftermath of the bombing, and deciding on a possible Israeli response will be a key test for Sharon’s stand-in, acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana urged Israelis and Palestinians not to let the attack derail the Palestinian elections.

Solana said the attack occurred at a moment of great importance “for the future of Palestine, because of elections.” He appealed “to everybody to forget terrorist acts and to give political life a chance. Elections are the only way civilized countries can express themselves.”

Medics said one person was seriously wounded, and four were in moderate condition.