Posted on 10/09/2004 9:35:08 AM PDT by NCjim
The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood movement blamed Israel and the United States for the blasts that rocked Sinai resorts on Thursday night.
Brotherhood members released a statement claiming that the attacks at the Hilton Hotel in Taba and other tourist sites in Sinai "came as a direct result of the brutal massacres carried out by the Zionist enemy against the defenseless Palestinian people."
The statement added that the blasts -- which killed about 35 people, mostly Israelis -- were also a result of "barbaric attacks by the American occupation in Iraq, in addition to the Zionist and American policies that aim to humiliate the nation."
The Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in Egypt but allowed to work openly, insisted that the "main beneficiary of these events is the criminal (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon and his gang that supports him in the American administration."
It added that the motive of the explosions was to "shift attention away from the ugly massacre carried out by the Zionist forces in the past 10 days, in which more than 100 Palestinian women, children and elderly" lost their lives.
PA also blames Israel and the U.S.
The Palestinian Authority has also blamed Israel and the United States for the attacks. Arafat's political adviser, Nabil Abu Rudeinah, said; "We say clearly that as long as the Israeli occupation persisted and as long as the U.S. backed that occupation there can be no security or stability in the region and the world,"
Abu Rudeinah’s statement was the first formal PA comment on the attacks.
"We hope that Israel will learn a lesson and that the U.S. will understand that without a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and without the creation of the Palestinian independent state with Jerusalem as its capital there will be no end to violence." He added.
The PA official ruled out the possibility that the attacks could affect the Egyptian efforts in reviving the suspended peace process between Israeli and Palestinian authorities.
"We have confidence in the role of Egypt, which is a national Palestinian request as well as an Arab one," he said.
Egypt: Too early to blame any organization
Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said on Saturday that it is still too early to blame any organization for the attacks.
China Radio International quoted Abul Gheit as saying that the conclusions of the investigations will be revealed once completed, adding that authorities from the countries whose nationals had been killed or injured will be immediately informed.
He also said that he did not receive any intelligence that Al Qaeda was involved in the attacks.
Two bombs exploded one after the other at the Taba Hilton on Thursday. First a car laden with explosives exploded at the lobby of the hotel then a human bomber blew up near a swimming pool at the hotel.
Two other smaller explosions hit the area of Ras Shitan, near Nuweiba south of Taba.
Now why am I not suprised?? Muslims blame the U.S. and Israel for everything...yet they continue to run around blowing people up.
Ultra-hypocrisy laced with murder.
They should be made to die slowly.
Sure, blame everyone else for their own actions. They can't even stand up and take responsibility.
Hey, Nabil, there's never going to be any "stability" in your part of the world until you ditch the blood-soaked nobel laureate and stop teaching your kids how to self-detonate.
Kill them. Kill them all.
"Allah" will know his own.
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