Israeli officials and most Palestinian leaders condemned the attack on the United States today. But Israelis also took cold comfort in concluding that Americans would now share more of their fears, while some Palestinians rejoiced at the same thought.

There were declarations of sympathy for the victims from both Israelis and Palestinians, as well as anxious telephone calls to friends and relatives in the United States. But politics is never far behind any human reaction here. And each side in this conflict saw in today's attack confirmation of its view of the bond of the United States and Israel -- that the two nations fought, and now suffered, together.

Most West Bank towns were quiet today. But in Nablus, big crowds of Palestinians marched in celebration, chanting ''Beloved bin Laden, strike Tel Aviv!'' Some waved the flag of the terrorist organization Hamas. ''Let the Americans know the meaning of death,'' one marcher said.

Some Palestinians expressed the hope that the assault would prompt the United States to change its policies toward the Mideast conflict -- though pictures of Palestinians rejoicing were not likely to create sympathy for their cause.