Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei on Saturday said Israel's assassination of Hamas leader Dr. Abdel Aziz Rantisi was a "direct result" of encouragement from the United States.
"The Palestinian cabinet considers this terrorist Israeli campaign is a direct result of American encouragement and the complete bias of the American administration towards the Israeli government," he said.
On its part, the White House early Sunday declined to criticize the assassination, saying instead that Israel "has the right to defend itself from terrorist attacks" and urging restraint in the region.
"The United States is gravely concerned for regional peace and stability," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. "The United States strongly urges Israel to consider carefully the consequences of its actions, and we again urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint at this time." (Albawaba.com)
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