United States, UN quickly condemn Har Adar terror attack

The United Nations underscored that the incident was in a settlement in the "occupied West Bank" in its statement.

By HERB KEINON
Updated: SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 20:07
Israeli security officers, friends and relatives attend the funeral of Youssef Ottman, killed in a Palestinian shooting attack in Har Adar, September 26, 2017. (photo credit: RONEN ZVULUN/REUTERS)
Israeli security officers, friends and relatives attend the funeral of Youssef Ottman, killed in a Palestinian shooting attack in Har Adar, September 26, 2017.
(photo credit: RONEN ZVULUN/REUTERS)
The United States and the United Nations quickly condemned Tuesday’s terrorist attack in Har Adar, and called for a condemnation of terrorism. The short statement by the UN special envoy twice made note that the attack took place in a “settlement.”
Residents of Har Adar react to the terror shooting, September 26, 2017. (Tovah Lazaroff)
“I condemn this morning’s shooting attack by a Palestinian perpetrator in the Har Adar settlement in which one Israeli policeman and two security guards were killed, and another was seriously injured,” read the statement issued by UN special envoy Nickolay Mladenov just four hours after the attack – the first international condemnation issued.
“It is deplorable that Hamas and others continue to glorify such attacks, which undermine the possibility of a peaceful future for both Palestinians and Israelis,” he said. “I urge all to condemn violence and stand up to terror.”
The introduction to Mladenov’s comment read: “Statement by United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, on today’s attack in a settlement in the occupied West Bank.”
The US Embassy in Tel Aviv and the US Consulate in Jerusalem, in an unusual move, issued a joint statement condemning the attack. That statement made no reference to Har Adar as a settlement.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms today’s horrific attack in Har Adar,” the statement read. “We also condemn statements glorifying terrorism and call on all to send a clear message that terrorism must never be tolerated.”
The embassy in Tel Aviv deals with the Israeli government, and the consulate in Jerusalem is responsible for the Palestinian Authority.
Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon also reacted to Tuesday’s attack, which he described as “heinous.”
It did not take place in a vacuum, he said.
“It was the direct result of the payments to terrorists by the Palestinian Authority,” Danon said. “Mahmoud Abbas continues to encourage terrorism by glorifying terrorists who have committed devastating attacks against Israelis.”
Danon called on the UN 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 has been pushing the subject of the PA’s payments to terrorists and their families for months at the United Nations, by speaking out at various forums and organizing summits of his own. No major progress has been made so far, although Danon has said he observed some improvements in the international community’s attitudes on this topic.
The EU also issued a condemnation, and -- like the UN -- twice mentioned the attack took place in a settlement.
"There can be no justification for such a crime and attempts by Hamas to glorify the attack are reprehensible," the statement continued. "Violence and terror will only achieve more loss and pain and must stop."
Danielle Ziri contributed to this report.


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