|
World Jewish News
Peres: An enlightened people can't accept Tel Aviv gay center murders
02.08.2009
President Shimon Peres on Sunday harshly condemned the shooting attack on Saturday in which a masked gunman opened fire inside a gay and lesbian youth center, killing two people and wounding 15.
Hundreds of police officers were scouring the streets of Tel Aviv on Sunday in a door-to-door manhunt for the shooter.
"The shocking murder in Tel Aviv last night is the kind of murder that an enlightened and cultured people cannot accept," Peres said. "Murder and hate are society's toughest crimes."
The president went on to say that the police force must make the utmost effort to apprehend this "lowly criminal" and that the "entire country must unite in condemning this heinous act."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also voiced shock and dismay at the attack, saying "I want to condemn the shocking murder."
"I extend my condolences to the families of the victims and wish a full and quick recovery to the wounded," Netanyahu said.
"I want to say to the citizens of Israel - we are a democratic and tolerant country and we must respect every person as he is," the prime minister went on to say.
Netanyahu added that he had asked Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, who is in charge of Israel's police force, to do everything in his power to apprehend the gunman and bring him to justice.
Aharonovitch, who was present at the scene of the attack, said that "this is a serious and grave incident, and it is being handled by the police. There are many leads. I can say that I was at the scene, and it was a difficult sight."
Opposition leader Tzipi Livni also expressed shock and sorrow Sunday morning. Livni, who is in contact with the gay and lesbian community, said that "even if all the details surrounding the event are not yet clear, the hatred exists and must be dealt with."
"This grave incident should awaken society to rid itself of prejudice. We must accept and recognize the right of every person to live safely and with dignity," she said.
"This event should shake up society, and all the circles inherent in it, including the political establishment and the education system, and on this day deliver an unequivocal message against intolerance, incitement and violence, and to act against any manifestation of these," the opposition leader went on to say.
The mayor of Tel Aviv, Ron Huldai, pledged that the city would continue to maintain its pluralistic nature.
"Tel Aviv will continue to provide a welcoming home for the gay and lesbian community, and we will fight for every person's right to live their lives as they see fit," he said.
Nitzan Horowitz, Israel's only openly gay lawmaker, said the attack had all the symptoms of a hate crime.
"This is the worst attack ever against the gay community in Israel, he said. This act was a blind attack against innocent youths, and I expect the authorities to exercise all means in apprehending the shooter," he said.
The ultra-Orthodox Shas party, a frequent critic of gays in Israel, issued a statement condemning Saturday's attack.
"We are shocked and bereaved, and denounce without reservation the murderous incident that targeted Tel Aviv's gay community," the party said.
"I would like to condemn, with the utmost severity, the ugly show of hatred we witnessed in Tel Aviv yesterday," Channel 10 quoted Defense Minister Ehud Barak as saying. "I want to send condolences to the families and wish the victims' a quick recovery."
Barak also said that law enforcement authorities must go out of their way to "suppress these atrocious acts and to use an iron fist to bring the perpetrator to justice."
Labor MK Shelly Yachimovich also on Sunday said the attack was a result of ongoing incitement, and urged police not to shut down the city's gay centers, but to provide them with the necessary security.
Mike Hamel, the head of the Aguda, Israel's Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) organization, said such an attack was unprecedented in Israel.
"We have joined the list of 'civilized' countries in which hatred is the standard," he said. "I don't know whether the incident was directed at youth, but it appears that it was directed at the community. This is baseless hatred that cost us dearly - this is what needs to be understood."
Hamel said that "elements represented by [Shas leaders] Eli Yishai and Benizri that are fostering hatred are still stronger than the increasingly favorable attitude toward homosexuality."
Hevruta, an organization of religious gay youth, issued a statement saying that "we in Hevruta are shocked by the murder of two innocent people and the wounding of people who didn't do anything to anyone. We hope that the police will apprehend the heinous killer and will bring him to justice."
Rabbi Gilad Kariv, executive director of the Reform Movement in Israel, said Sunday that "Jewish communities in Israel are holding their heads down in the face of the loss of life and the pain of the wounded in this criminal act."
"The possibility that the incident was a hate crime shocks our souls and represents a painful reminder of the devastating power of hate and incitement," he went on to say.
"We say a prayer for a quick recovery of the wounded, and add to this prayer an ongoing commitment to promote tolerance in Israeli society and to stubbornly fight prejudice and hate hand in hand with the gay community," he concluded.
Immediately following the attack, an impromptu demonstration was staged, in which hundreds of people carried banners accusing Shas of inciting hatred against homosexuals.
A second protest has been planned for Sunday at 5 P.M. outside the building where the attack took place.
By Yuval Goren, Noah Kosharek and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents
Источник: Haaretz
|
|
