[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 9 (Monday, March 4, 1996)]
[Pages 378-379]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Terrorist Attacks in Israel

February 25, 1996

    On behalf of all Americans, I want to extend my deepest sympathy and 
condolences to Prime Minister Peres and the people of Israel. Our 
prayers are with them at this terrible moment, especially the families 
and

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friends of those killed and wounded in Jerusalem and Ashkelon.
    These brutal acts of terror, which once again have taken the lives 
of innocent Israelis and at least one American citizen, offend the 
conscience of the world. They must not only be condemned; they must be 
brought to an end. The enemies of peace have once more attempted to turn 
back progress toward a new Middle East in which Arabs and Israelis may 
live in peace. But they have not and will not succeed. Their dark vision 
is of the past, not the present; of violence, not hope for a better 
future.
    At this tragic moment, the U.S. stands alongside Israel and with all 
the peacemakers, as together we continue our work for a comprehensive 
and lasting settlement for all the peoples of the Middle East.