World Jewish Congress (WJC) President Ronald S. Lauder on Thursday condemned the terrorist attack on Wednesday night in Tel Aviv, in which four people were killed and more than a dozen injured.
“The Jewish world is shocked about what happened last night in Israel. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families, and to the people of Israel,” Lauder declared.
He expressed “shock and dismay” about the fact that Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups celebrated the attack with fireworks.
At least four people were killed in the attack Wednesday night at the Sarona Market shopping complex, and another 16 were wounded. On Thursday morning, a statement by Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, said that the two gunmen were members of the organization.
The attackers were caught after fleeing the scene, one having been shot and seriously wounded by a security guard. Hamas declared the attack was a response to alleged Israeli “violations” on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Ronald S. Lauder called on Palestinian President Abbas to condemn the attack and to abandon plans for a Palestinian unity government with Hamas “and any other group that applauds such vicious acts.
“Hamas and others are celebrating the bloodshed. It’s become clear once again that they are a terror group, and not a partner for peace.
“It’s high time that responsible Palestinian leaders stand up and stop the glorification of terror and murder. The pictures of large numbers of people celebrating callous acts of murder on the streets of Ramallah and Gaza City are revolting, and they show that something is fundamentally flawed in Palestinian society,” said Lauder.
The WJC president added: “Just as there cannot be any justification for terrorist acts in Paris, Brussels or Tel Aviv, there must be no cooperation with terrorists. They must be fought and defeated, not courted.”
Although no Palestinian terrorist organization has officially claimed responsibility for the attack, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and spokesman Mushir al-Masri praised the terrorists and called on other young Palestinians to carry out similar attacks. "This is not the first time that the city of Hebron and surrounding [villages] have proved that Hebron is the capital of the uprising and resistance against the Zionist occupation," Haniyeh said.
The attack has been nicknamed 'Amaliat al-Ramadan' ('Operation Ramadan') in Palestinian social media posts. The Muslim holiday of Ramadan began this week.
