August 5, 2005

The Muslim Public Affairs Council today condemned the terrorist attack committed Thursday by a young Israeli army deserter. Media reports indicate that the attack, which killed four and injured 13, was motivated by the man's anger about Israel's imminent plans to shut down Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as well as Palestinian members of the Israeli parliament have described it as a terror attack by a Jewish extremist. The Muslim Public Affairs Council calls on Jewish American leaders to follow suit, and unequivocally condemn this attack and the extremist ideologies of hatred behind such actions. Moreover, the White House and the US government at large must end their silence on this issue.

Settler terrorism is an on-going phenomenon born out of the culture of hatred that is fomented among hard-line Israeli settlers. The Israeli government must provide protection to all its citizens, including Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza who are also victims of Israeli terror committed as a result of the occupation. There can be no double standard in protecting innocent civilian life.