President Barack Obama has strongly condemned the recent terrorist attack on an Israeli synagogue in which five innocent people, including three U.S. citizens -- Aryeh Kupinsky, Cary William Levine, and Mosheh Twersky – were killed.
“There is and can be no justification for such attacks against innocent civilians,” President Obama said in a statement. “The thoughts and prayers of the American people are with the victims and families of all those who were killed and injured in this horrific attack and in other recent violence.”
Mr. Obama urged “Israeli and Palestinian leaders and ordinary citizens to work cooperatively together to lower tensions, reject violence, and seek a path forward towards peace.”
The United States welcomed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ statement condemning the Jerusalem attack, when he said he deplored “the killing of civilians no matter who is doing it.”
Speaking to reporters in Washington on November 18th, President Obama said, “The murderers for today’s outrageous acts represent the kind of extremism that threatens to bring all of the Middle East into the kind of spiral from which it’s very difficult to emerge, and we know how this violence can get worse over time. We have to remind ourselves,” President Obama said, “that the majority of Palestinians and Israelis overwhelmingly want peace and to be able to raise their families, knowing they’re safe and secure. The United States wants to work with all parties involved to make that a reality and to isolate the kinds of extremists that are bringing about this terrible carnage.”