The Palestinian Leadership Strongly Condemns Jerusalem Attacks Against Israeli Civilians
Date:12/1/01

With great fury and anger, the Palestinian leadership received the news of the attacks that occurred last night 1 December 2001 in West Jerusalem, which targeted civilians and resulted in a number of casualties.

The Palestinian leadership expresses it deep anger, condemnation, and anguish regarding those attacks, whose initiators aim, particularly at a time like this, to cripple the American, Russian, European, and international peace efforts. They further challenge the decisions of the Palestinian leadership, the Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee, and the Fateh Central Committee, with the aim to paralyze the leadership's credibility, competence, responsibility, and the Palestinian national objectives, every time international efforts rise to the possibility of putting an end to Israeli occupation and guarantee the establishment of a Palestinian State, with Jerusalem as its capital.

Those attacks, which have targeted Israeli civilians, have resulted in great damage to the image of our People in the international public opinion, despite our People's constant suffering due the brutality of occupation, settlement building, assassinations, closure, and siege for the past fourteen months.

The leadership further calls upon the international community to elevate the extent of its focus on the current crisis and bloody confrontation, and urgently send international monitors to the Palestinian Territory.

The leadership will fully uphold its responsibilities and obligations, in order to track down those responsible and those who are behind those attacks.

Finally, the leadership expresses its deep condolences to the Israeli people and the families of the victims for this painful tragedy.