April 7, 2011

NEW YORK – AJC called for international condemnation of the Hamas regime in Gaza after an anti-tank missile landed next to a school bus in southern Israel.

"Today's attack that critically injured an Israeli teenager on a school bus and wounded the driver shows clearly again that Hamas holds no regard for human life or interest in supporting any efforts to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace," said AJC Executive Director David Harris.

Thousands of rockets and mortars have been fired from Gaza since Israel left the coastal territory in 2005, and transferred it to the Palestinian Authority. The situation has worsened since Hamas violently seized control of Gaza in a coup against the PA in June 2007.

"To reaffirm a commitment to achieve a negotiated two-state peace agreement, it is essential that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas return to the direct talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu," said Harris. "Resuming negotiations also would signal clear PA opposition to the destructive Hamas approach."

American Jewish Committee