Israel: 'Axis of terror' behind bombing
But Olmert government not expected to do anything about it
Israeli Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert took flack Friday for failing to order a response to Thursday's “Palestinian” homicide bombing in Tel Aviv, despite detailed knowledge of which nations and organizations funded, facilitated and executed the attack.
The bombing, which wounded some 30 Israelis, “was funded by Iran, planned by Syria, and executed by the Palestinians,” Ynet quoted Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz as saying during a meeting with defense officials in Tel Aviv.
Mofaz said Israel “possess conclusive evidence that the attack is a direct result of this terror axis operating against Israel at all times.”
Thursday's bombing came as Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar Assad in Damascus, where the two hailed ongoing “Palestinian” efforts to mass murder Jews and eradicate Israel from the map of the Middle East.
“The continued Palestinian resistance [ie. anti-Jewish terrorism] is the only way to regain the Palestinian nation's legitimate rights over the occupied Islamic territories,” read a joint statement.
This evidence and previous threats to show terror and its sponsors no mercy notwithstanding, reports indicated Israel will not respond militarily in order to not upset upcoming “Palestinian” parliamentary elections, which the Jewish state's allies in Washington are so keenly looking forward to.
Instead, Israel is to present the damning evidence to the Americans and Europeans in hopes they will do something about it. Recent history would suggest they won't.
Meanwhile, Olmert's political rivals to the right took the opportunity to score the prime minister over his inaction, suggesting a future government headed by the former Jerusalem mayor would result in many more Israeli body bags.
“Olmert prefers to fight settlers instead of Arabs,” charged National Union MK Aryeh Eldad, referring to Olmert's stated determination to forcibly expel a handful of Jewish families from their homes in Hebron, even at the risk of causing a major national rift.
“It seems this [kind of terror] is what we can expect in the near future” if polls predicting a landslide victory for Olmert's Kadima Party prove true, continued Eldad.
Senior Likud MK Yuval Steinitz said it was time for Olmert to stop “handing out compliments to Hamas and [PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas]” and start defending his own people.