Reprinted from United Church News
An April 17 suicide bombing in Tel Aviv was condemned by UCC General Minister and President John H. Thomas, saying such frightening acts “can never contribute to a peaceful and just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Thomas’ statement comes just after a spokesperson for Hamas called the attack “a legitimate response” to Israeli aggression.
“The killing or wounding of innocent people, whether they are Israelis or Palestinians, can never be called legitimate,” Thomas said in a statement. “The only legitimate response to the conflict in the Middle East is a negotiated settlement in which both Israel and Palestine exist peacefully within safe, viable, and internationally recognized borders and in which Jerusalem is shared by both.”
The suicide bombing near the old central bus station in southern Tel Aviv killed at least nine people and wounded more than 60. The attack came in the midst of holiday celebrations of Jewish Passover and a week before Yom Hashoah or Holocaust Remembrance Day.
For Christians, Thomas said, the bombing “marked a heartbreaking and ominous beginning to the Easter season.”
“In the wake of this attack and the Israeli response in Gaza, we pray that responsible leaders on both sides, as well as leaders of our own nation, will recommit themselves to an urgent peace process for the sake of Jews, Christians and Muslims who share the land we call Holy,” Thomas said.
Read Thomas' full statement here.