Michel slams al-Rantissi killing

19 April 2004

BRUSSELS – Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel has added his voice to the anger expressed by most of the international community at Israel’s assassination of Hamas leader Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi.

In a statement issued on Sunday Michel said he unreservedly condemned Israel’s action.

“I definitively condemn extra-judicial killings. The only result they will have is to reinforce the most radical elements [in the conflict] and to make the current antagonisms even worse,” he said.

The statement added that Israel’s action was “inadmissible” and “gravely complicated” efforts to re-start the Middle East peace process.

An Israeli helicopter gunship killed al-Rantissi by firing rockets at his car on Saturday night. The attack came three weeks after Israel killed Rantisi’s predecessor as Hamas leader, the wheelchair-bound Sheikh Yassin, in a similar attack.

The European Union roundly condemned the attack on al-Rantissi as did the Arab world and the majority of United Nations member countries.

Neither the United States’ government nor Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry have overtly condemned Israel however.

Subject: Belgian news