Palestinians Cheer Terrorist
Attacks on United States
Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2001
JERUSALEM - As Palestinian
leader Yasser Arafat condemned
the terror attack against New
York and Washington Tuesday,
smiling youngsters and adults
waved Palestinian flags,
cheered and passed out candy
in the streets of Arab East
Jerusalem.Palestin
more

Palestinians Cheer Terrorist
Attacks on United States
Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2001
JERUSALEM - As Palestinian
leader Yasser Arafat condemned
the terror attack against New
York and Washington Tuesday,
smiling youngsters and adults
waved Palestinian flags,
cheered and passed out candy
in the streets of Arab East
Jerusalem.Palestinian Arab
passengers in passing cars
made the V-for-victory sign in
satisfaction with the attacks
of unprecedented magnitude
that destroyed the soaring
twin-towered World Trade
Center in New York and set
fire to the massive Pentagon
military office building.A
spokesman for Islamic Hamas,
Abdel Aziz Ranteesi, said that
his group was not standing
behind the attacks and that he
did not know who was guilty.A
senior leader of the radical
Democratic Front for the
Liberation of Palestine told
United Press International
that his group was in no way
involved. Early reports had
suggested DFLP was connected
to the attack. Saleh Zeidan,
member of the DFLP Central
committee, said: 'I totally
deny our involvement in the
attack. We did not do it, and
we have no relation to it.'In
another part of this city holy
to Christianity, Judaism and
Islam, Israeli President Moshe
Katsav offered his condolences
to Americans, saying,
'Everything must be done to
defeat this phenomenon in
which insane people will stop
at nothing to disrupt daily
life.'Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon expressed his
condolences to U.S. Ambassador
to Israel Daniel C. Kurtzer,
offering any and all necessary
assistance that Israel could
render, his office
reported.Foreign Minister
Shimon Peres added: 'If we can
give even a tiny little bit of
help, we would do so
willingly. We feel so close to
the United States and its
residents.'Peres said
Tuesday's attacks in the
United States prove that the
classical armies do not suit
the new situation. 'Completely
new armies are needed,' he
said.The attacks show 'that
even if you have an army, a
navy, tanks and cannons it
does not answer this kind of
warfare,' Peres said.'This is
a war in which the enemies
sail over borders, have no
uniforms, no identity cards,
no warnings, and there is a
need for a completely
different strategic and
tactical deployment to suit
the new situation,' he
said.Peres called for
'recruiting' to this joint
effort not only the U.S. but
also Europe, Russia, India,
China, 'all the responsible
states, because there is a
global danger.'He said some
countries house 'terror
centers' and must be told to
liquidate them or face 'all
the consequences.'Sharon said
in a statement: 'The fight
against terror is an
international struggle of the
free world against the forces
of darkness. Together, we can
defeat the forces of
darkness.'The Israeli
government announced a day of
mourning, put its national
rescue team on alert for
immediate departure to the
United States, and was
collecting blood for victims
of Tuesday's terrorist attacks
in New York and
Washington.Announcing its
decision on a day of mourning
today, Prime Minister Sharon
told the American people: 'Our
hearts are with you. We bow
our heads and share in the
sorrow of the American
people.'The Health Ministry
and the Magen David Adom Blood
Bank (Israel's equivalent of
the Red Cross) asked people to
donate O-type blood that would
be flown out Wednesday. The
call was issued late Tuesday
night (local time), and about
an hour later the director of
Magen David Adom Blood
Services, Eilat Shinar, told
United Press International of
'an unusual response.'The
government also decided to
dispatch the army's national
rescue unit that has gained
considerable experience in
digging through the rubble of
collapsed buildings, including
the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi,
Kenya, though nothing even
close to the scale of
Tuesday's disaster.A small
advance team was planning to
leave Israel for the United
States Tuesday night.Israeli
security sources said they
suspected Osama Bin Laden,
Iraq or Iran were involved in
the attacks in the United
States.

Category Travel & Places

Tags Palestinians, Arab, Muslim, Celebrating, fall, Freedom, Twin, Towers, 911, Terrorist