Mideast situation/Attacks – Letter from Israel

Identical letters dated 30 March 2006 from the

Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Israel

to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

and the President of the Security Council

  I am writing to inform you of a devastating terrorist attack that was perpetrated against Israel this evening.

  At approximately 9.45 p.m., at least three people were murdered when a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in a car at a gas station in the West Bank. According to initial reports, a Palestinian from Hebron had blown himself up next to a car packed with Israelis. The attacker had apparently been planning to carry out a suicide attack at a crowded destination; however, his explosives detonated prematurely at the gas station.

  This deplorable terrorist attack comes at a very sensitive and fragile period in our relations with the Palestinian Authority. Only a few hours prior, in a statement during the monthly briefing on the situation in the Middle East at the Security Council, we had remarked: “As we sit here today, the next terrorist attack against Israel is being financed and planned and is nearing execution.” It causes me great sorrow to note that this very attack occurred just minutes after the time of our deliberations.

  We call on the international community to condemn this tragic attack, and employ its utmost efforts to bring about the participation of a genuine partner on the Palestinian side who will unequivocally reject terrorism, in all its forms, and comply with the very first requirement in the road map, namely to fight terrorism and begin to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure.

  I should be grateful if you would arrange to have the text of the present letter circulated as a document of the sixtieth session of the General Assembly, under agenda items 14 and 108, and of the Security Council.

(Signed ) Ambassador Daniel Carmon

Chargé d’Affaires a.i.

Deputy Permanent Representative

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