Australia condemns West Bank attacks
AUSTRALIA'S Foreign Minister Stephen Smith used tough words to criticise this week's Kiryat Arba terrorist attack.
AUSTRALIA’S Foreign Minister Stephen Smith used tough words to criticise this week’s Kiryat Arba terrorist attack.
“Can I condemn in the strong possible terms the brutal killings of four Israelis by terrorists in Hebron on 31 August,” he told journalists.
The Hamas military wing, the Kassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the gunfire attack on Route 60, which killed four people from the town of Beit Hagai.
Smith, who spoke in the context of Australia’s long-standing bipartisan approach to the Middle East peace process during the current local political limbo, said the attack was aimed at disrupting the path to peace.
“Australia welcomes very much the resumption of the peace process with direct talks between Prime Minister [Binyamin] Netanyahu and President [Mahmoud] Abbas, but we condemn absolutely the senseless slaying of four Israelis, including a pregnant woman.”
NAOMI LEVIN
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