Peres on fatal Hebron attack: Terrorists will not triumph

President ties attack to peace process: "Hold talks with those who want peace"; Livni: Terrorists trying to derail negotiations.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Peres speaking 311 AP (photo credit: Associated Press)
Peres speaking 311 AP
(photo credit: Associated Press)
President Shimon Peres on Wednesday morning expressed his condolences to the families of the four Israelis killed in Tuesday night's terror attack near Kiryat Arba, and added that "the terrorists will not triumph."
Yitzhak Ames, 47, and his wife Tali Ames, 45, Kochava Even-Haim, 37, and Avishai Schindler, 24, all from Beit Hagai, were killed in the attack.
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Peres also referred to direct negotiations with the Palestinians, set to relaunch in Washington on Thursday, stressing that "there should be no negotiations with terrorists, but we should hold talks with those that denounce terror and want peace."
Opposition leader Tzipi Livni (Kadima) voiced similar comments about both the attack and peace talks saying, "We cannot let the terror attack interfere with... the peace negotiations." Livni said that the attack testifies to the lack of humanity and the desire to derail peace talks, but the "Israeli interest is to reach an agreement." The terrorists had a "cold, political motive: to prevent the peace process," explained Livni.
"I believe there is a chance for peace. There is no chance for peace with those who do not accept the existence of the state of Israel and who try to hurt Israel's citizens," Livni stressed.
"The national, Jewish and Israeli interest is to reach an agreement on two states for two nations. I am telling the prime minister from here, there is a public and political majority which wants an agreement."
Right-wing MKs also linked Tuesday evening’s terror incident to the beginning of the negotiations in Washington, with members of the National Union calling for talks to be frozen following the attack in which four Israelis were killed.
Rebecca Anna Stoil contributed to this report