Hours after U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides addressed security tensions, the U.S. State Department issued a "neutral" statement following the attack.
Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the department, explicitly condemned the attack, saying, "The United States condemns the terrorist attack against Israelis near Ali in the West Bank. We express our deepest condolences to the families of those killed and wish a speedy recovery to the wounded."
The attack at my husband's gas station, photo: TPS
But Miller added, "We are also concerned about the continued violence in Israel and the West Bank in recent weeks that has killed and injured Palestinian and Israeli civilians. We will continue to work with Israel and the Palestinian Authority to advance steps towards escalation."
Meanwhile, Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, sent an urgent letter to the Security Council on Wednesday night, demanding that the council strongly condemn the murderous attack on Ali and the Palestinian Authority.
Among other things, he demanded that in the upcoming discussion on the Middle East, to be held next week, Palestinian terrorism and those responsible for it be at the center of the agenda.
Four murdered in shooting attack at gas station near the community of Ali // Yoni Rikner
In his letter, Erdan detailed the sharp increase in the number of attacks since the beginning of 2023, in which thousands of attacks have been carried out against Israeli civilians so far – 152 of them shooting attacks, leading to the murder of 29 victims and the injury of hundreds.
He added that "not only is the Palestinian Authority not acting against terrorism, it is also enabling the growth of Iranian nests of terror in areas such as Jenin and Nablus. The Security Council must condemn the Palestinian Authority and the brutal murder of Israelis by Palestinian terrorists, and demand that Abbas stop financing and glorifying terrorism on the Palestinian street."
The ambassador stated that Israel will continue to act resolutely against terrorism and will take all necessary measures to thwart security threats and protect its citizens. "The Security Council must make a clear distinction between a democratic state that neutralizes terrorists and despicable terrorists who harm innocent civilians. Such a comparison is false, immoral and serves as an incentive and encouragement for terrorism."
"These despicable attacks are the direct result of deliberate incitement on the part of the Palestinian terrorist organizations, as well as the Palestinian Authority, which continues to fund the salaries of murderers through the despicable 'Pay for Slay' program, which contravenes international law and constitutes financing of terrorism," Erdan wrote.
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