UN Secretary-General strongly condemns escalating violence between Israelis & Palestinians by UN Wire 7:03pm 9th Mar, 2003   March 6, 2003    MIDDLE EAST: Israel Kills 11 In Gaza; Annan Condemns Haifa Bombing    Following a Palestinian suicide bombing yesterday in Haifa that left 15 Israelis dead, Israeli forces invaded a Gaza Strip refugee camp today in search of a Hamas fugitive. At least 11 Palestinians were killed in the operation, with Israelis and Palestinians disputing the cause of their deaths.    According to Palestinian witnesses, at least eight people died when Israeli soldiers fired on a crowd observing buildings that were being attacked by Israeli forces. The Israeli army, however, has denied firing on civilians, saying the victims died when a man in the crowd set off a bomb, killing the people around him. "I really hope we didn't hit civilians," said Israeli Gaza commander Gadi Shamni. "And I think it is known that this is not how the army works. It is not our method to hit civilians."    Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said the Palestinian Authority holds "the Israeli government fully responsible for such acts of revenge" and urges U.S. President George W. Bush "to reshift his focus from war on Iraq to helping the Palestinians and Israelis break this vicious cycle."    More than 100 people were injured in the operation, and three other Palestinians were killed during earlier Israeli-Palestinian clashes.    Responding to yesterday's bombing, the first suicide attack in Israel since Jan. 5, a spokesman for U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said Annan "utterly" condemns the attack and calls on both sides to "draw back from this dangerous and dehumanizing situation."    The spokesman added that Annan is worried about the recent escalation of violence in the region, which has left 176 Palestinians and 30 Israelis dead since the beginning of this year, and that the only way out of the conflict is the implementation of the "road map" peace plan proposed by the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia, which are known collectively as the Quartet.    UN SECRETARY-GENERAL GRAVELY CONCERNED AT ESCALATING VIOLENCE BETWEEN ISRAELIS, PALESTINIANS    The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:    The Secretary-General is gravely and increasingly concerned by the steady escalation in violence between Israelis and Palestinians, which has left    176 Palestinians and 30 Israelis dead since 1 January. He utterly condemns its latest manifestation, today’s terrorist attack in the Israeli city of Haifa.    The Secretary-General strongly believes that the parties should take urgent steps to draw back from this dangerous and de-humanizing situation. He once again calls on both sides to respect fully their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect the lives of civilians.    The Secretary-General remains convinced that violence will produce neither security nor lasting peace. He reiterates his call on the parties to allow the international community to help them find a peaceful way out of this conflict, based on the two-State solution through the implementation of the Quartet’s Road Map. Visit the related web page
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