Following terror bombings that killed dozens in Egyptian churches on Palm Sunday, Israel offered their nation’s condolences to the families of the victims and a call for global counterterrorism. They also urged their own citizens to return from Egypt to Israel. Prime Minister’s office spokesman Ofir Gendelman posted to his Twitter feed that they wished a quick recovery to the wounded and said that “the world must come together, unite and fight terrorism everywhere.”
CNN reported that ISIS claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing attacks that targeted two Coptic Christian churches. More than 40 people were killed in the acts of terrorism. And that wasn’t the only ISIS threat in Egypt. On Twitter, Gendelman said that the terrorist group is also plotting to attack terrorists in the Sinai. Given the security risks, he said Israelis in Egypt should leave and “return immediately to Israel.”
The call to return to Israel comes days ahead of the holiday of Passover, which marks the Israeli exodus from Egypt thousands of years ago and is also a popular vacation time for Israelis.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council also commented on the terror attacks in Egypt. In a statement released by the United States in their capacity as Security Council President, the powerful U.N. body “condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attacks.”
The Council called for perpetrators to be brought to justice and reiterated the need for all nations to fight terror. Said the statement, “The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.”
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, April 9, 2017)