Saturday, July 31, 2004

Israel Urges Global Crackdown After Uzbekistan Bombings

From Haaretz :

"Israel urges global crackdown on attackers.

"Israel called for a concerted international drive to root out those behind the series of bombings.

"'The world is confronted with a wave of terrorism,' Pazner said. 'There is an absolute need to unite all efforts to combat this scourge.'

"'An attack has been carried out in Uzbekistan against American and Israeli targets, meaning three different countries are hit today by the same people who hate democracy and freedom. It is obvious there is a need for a concerted effort against them,' Pazner said.

"In a statement released on the United Nations' web site, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan condemned the attacks. 'Targeting of civilians and diplomatic missions is a crime that cannot be justified by any cause,' he said.

"In the past 35 years, there have been numerous attacks on Israeli missions around the world, including a 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires that killed 28 people, among them four embassy personnel, and wounded some 300 others.

"In 1997, two embassy security personnel were wounded in an attack in Amman, and in 1999 around 100 rioters broke into the Israeli Consulate General in Berlin, brandishing clubs, hammers, and iron bars. Israeli security guards shot dead three of the rioters after they took a woman hostage and also tried to seize weapons."