Norway condemns killing of Israeli citizens

Norway has condemned the killing of four Israeli citizens who were shot dead near the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba on the West Bank on Tuesday, the day before the start of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians in Washington.

Hamas has taken responsibility for the killings, which the Norwegian Department of Foreign Affairs in a press release calls an "outrage".

“I most strongly condemn the killing of the four Israeli citizens,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

The Foreign Minister has urged the negotiators on both sides to contribute to visible progress from the start.

“Although the purpose of the killings is to undermine the peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, they will not weaken the international community’s strong support for these negotiations,” said Mr Støre.

“It is crucial that the peace negotiations go ahead as planned, and that those who want the peace process to stall do not succeed. It is therefore essential to ensure that the killings do not lead to a new spiral of violence,” the Norwegian Foreign Minister said.

(NRK/Press release)

Thursday, 02 September 2010 07:47

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