(IMRA) - Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom told the International Conference on Fighting Terrorism for Humanity in New York on Monday: This is a war that none of us seek. But if our way of life is to survive, this is a war we must fight with the full force of our conviction. The family of nations must rise as one to the challenge of terrorism. First, terrorists must be denied access to the money which helps them fund their activities. I praise the recent decisions by the U.S., the EU, and others to prevent the flow of money to Hamas. Second, terrorists must be denied the space from which they plan and carry out their wanton crimes. States which harbor terrorists and give them shelter are accomplices in the acts of terror themselves. They must be held to account for their crimes. Third, terrorists must be denied the moral legitimacy which they use to justify their actions. Too often, empathy for the Palestinian people has been translated into empathy for suicide bombers and those who encourage them. Fourth, it is not enough to challenge the infrastructure of terror. We must also build an infrastructure of peace. It is imperative that we show humanity where the terrorists show none. In the ten years since Arafat committed himself to resolving all issues between Israel and the Palestinians through peaceful means, 1,126 Israelis have been murdered in more than 19,000 terrorist attacks, including 102 suicide bomb attacks. In relative numbers, this would be the same as 56,000 Americans dying from terrorism. This carnage must stop.
2003-09-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive