Mubarak Warns Against Bloodshed in Middle East

Published December 2nd, 2001 - 02:00 GMT
Al Bawaba
Al Bawaba

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday deplored the deadly suicide bomb attacks in occupied Jerusalem the previous evening, and called for an end to "military actions and reprisals to prevent bloodshed," in a statement to state news agency MENA, cited by AFP. 

"Egypt condemns all reciprocal acts of violence which target the innocent and demands an end to military actions and reprisals, to prevent bloodshed," Mubarak said. 

"We deplore attacks and sympathize with the families of the victims. We deplore the fact that these events occur at a time when we are calling for international efforts to resume negotiations between the two sides," he added. 

President Mubarak has on more than one occasion attributed the mounting conflict to Israel's 34-year occupation of huge swathes of land seized from Palestinian owners. 

Two Palestinian suicide bombers killed themselves and 10 Israelis, and wounded 180 when they blew themselves up in a crowded area of Jerusalem late Saturday. It was the third suicide attack in Israel since US peace envoys arrived in the region last Monday. 

Islamic Jihad has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack, while Hamas said it killed a Jewish settler in Gaza and wounded several others in an attack on a settlement in the narrow, overcrowded strip early Sunday. 

According to the UK-based magazine The Economist, Israel has "flouted" the 1993 Oslo peace accords by settling thousands of its citizens on occupied Palestinian land – Albawaba.com 

© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

Subscribe

Sign up to our newsletter for exclusive updates and enhanced content