Emergency workers at the scene of the Har Adar attack. Photo: Zaka

Israeli officials and Jewish leaders around the world united in condemnation of the terrorist attack in the Jewish community of Har Adar in the West Bank, in which three Israelis were killed on Tuesday.

“This heinous terror attack did not take place in a vacuum,” said Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon.  “It was the direct result of the payments to terrorists by the Palestinian Authority. Mahmoud Abbas continues to encourage terrorism by glorifying terrorists who have committed devastating attacks against Israelis.”

“I call on the Security Council to immediately and unequivocally condemn this horrific attack and demand that Mahmoud Abbas and the PA end their incitement against the State and people of Israel,” the Ambassador concluded.

Stephen M. Greenberg, Chairman, and Malcolm Hoenlein, CEO, of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, expressed their “condolences and deepest sympathy to the families of those killed by the terrorists in this ruthless terror attack and offer our prayers for the recovery of those who were wounded.”

The statement continued: “We urge that President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority end their incitement and rewards for terrorism against Israel. Hours after the attack, Hamas was celebrating and handing out candy on the streets. There is no justification for the glorification of brutal terror attacks. We are appalled by this behavior and by reports that the Palestinian Authority would make payments to reward the family of the terrorist. There can be no real prospect for progress on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians until the Palestinians end their policy of glorifying ‘martyrs’, incentivizing murder and reinforcing a culture which legitimizes and encourages terror.”

In the UK, the Board of Deputies of British Jews stated: “We welcome efforts led by the Americans to re-start peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians but no successful agreement will be reached until the Palestinian Authority ends its program of inciting violence and murder of innocent Israelis. We call on the Palestinian Authority and the international community to unequivocally condemn this latest atrocity. Terror is terror, wherever it takes place.”