Moscow condemns terrorist act in Netanya – Russian Foreign Ministry press release

Unofficial translation from Russian 

Russian MFA Information and Press Department Commentary Regarding Terrorist Act in Netanya

On December 5, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a shopping mall in the Israeli town of Netanya, reportedly killing five people and wounding dozens more.

Moscow resolutely condemns the terrorist attack. It is particularly outrageous that once again innocent civilians became victims of a criminal action. The political aims of the terrorists, regardless of "motives or justifications," are obvious – to cross out the positive shifts in Palestinian-Israeli settlement after Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and the opening of the Rafah checkpoint there. It is also obvious that the organizers of the terrorist act set themselves another task – to direct the election campaigns in Israel and the PNA into a confrontational mainstream.

The Palestinian Authority has unreservedly condemned the terrorist act in Netanya as contradicting the interests of the Palestinian people. We call upon the Palestinian authorities to take tough, practical action to prevent terrorist attacks. We expect both sides – the Palestinians and Israelis – to show restraint and abidance by the obligations assumed, to avoid any unilateral actions and closely cooperate in questions of security and elsewhere.

Moscow is firmly convinced that the world community should intensify its efforts in support of a political settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Russia intends energetically to act in this regard, both on its own and as part of the Quartet, in the interest of restarting the implementation of the Road Map's provisions. The special representatives of the Quartet plan to soon hold a meeting in the region. From Russia Ambassador at Large Alexander Kalugin, the Foreign Minister's special Middle East envoy, will take part in it.

December 5, 2005