TheThe European Jewish Press
By Yossi Lempkowicz
The European Jewish Congress (EJC) commended French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel for placing the responsibility for the current conflict on Hamas.
The pan-European Jewish body also welcomed the declarations made by the EU Czech Presidency during its current Mideast tour.
President Sarkozy stated after a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah that Hamas bore “a heavy responsibility for the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza.”
“The terror perpetrated by Hamas is unacceptable and the causes and consequences of the current round of violence in the Gaza Strip should not be forgotten” Chancellor Merkel said in her New Year address.
In a statement, the European Jewish Congress expressed “support for Israel’s right to defend itself from terrorist attacks”.
“Hamas has constantly refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist and to acknowledge any accords signed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Hamas continues to terrorize almost one million Israelis by targeting civilians with rocket and missile fire” it added.
“Israel should receive strong support from the international community for its current effort against Hamas” said EJC President, Moshe Kantor.
“The international community and the European Union should understand that this fight against Hamas is part of the global campaign against terrorism. Israel is on the front lines of the battle against terrorism that stretches all over the world, while Hamas is part of a larger, international terrorist network, with links to Teheran”.
“;Hamas is not only terrorizing Israel, but also the Palestinian people in Gaza. By placing its rocket launchers and caches in densely populated civilian centres, it has brought untold suffering to the people in the surrounding areas”.
Hamas is listed among the European Union’s terrorist organizations since 2005.
The European Jewish Congress said it would welcome a permanent cease-fire only if Hamas puts an end to its repeated terrorist attacks.
