World condemns Eilat bombing

The Eilat terror attack had no justification, the UN Middle East peace envoy told Ynet on Monday.

Alvaro de Soto added that he felt pain for the families of the casualties and that he fully condemned the attack, which he called "unacceptable under any circumstances."

The UN condemns any type of terror, he said, adding that there was no goal that could justify such an attack against innocent civilians.

Addressing the estimations that the Palestinian factions were satisfied with the attack, which may help them in their internal battles, the UN envoy said he did not see how such an ugly attack could solve the intra-Palestinian problem.

I can’t find any rational explanation for that, he said, adding that the factions should united and continue in their efforts to establish a unity government, which could solve the problems in the Palestinian Authority and reach an agreement with Israel.

The White House also condemned the attack.

"The United States strongly condemns the terrorist bombing in Eilat today, which resulted in the death of at least three civilians. Our condolences go out to the victims, their families, and the people of Israel. We also condemn those Palestinian terrorist groups, including Hamas, that condone these barbaric actions," a statement from Washington said.  

"The burden of responsibility for preventing terrorist attacks rests with the Palestinian Authority government. Failure to act against terror will inevitably effect relations between that government and the international community and undermine the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own."

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy also condemned the Eilat bombing, saying that "nothing could justify such an act."

Douste-Blazy offered his condolences to the families of the casualties and to the people of Israel.

British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said in response to the suicide bombing, "We utterly condemn this morning's suicide attack in Eilat. There can be no justification for attacks such as these. Our thoughts are with the families of the people killed and injured. Such incidents only serve to escalate further an already tense situation in the region.

She added that "we are also gravely concerned by the violence over the weekend in the Occupied Territories. We wish to see the restoration of order by the legally constituted Palestinian security forces.

“Neither despicable acts of terrorism inside Israel nor continued violence between Palestinian groups should be allowed to deflect us from the goal shared by the great majority of Israelis, Palestinians and the international community - of a negotiated, peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

News agencies contributed to the report