(Communicated by the Foreign Ministry Spokesman)
Thirteen years ago today, 18 July, at 9 A.M., a huge explosion rocked the city of Buenos Aires - the second murderous attack against Israeli and Jewish targets in Argentina. The attack was launched against the AMIA Jewish community center (Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina). The target of the previous attack, two years earlier, was the Israeli embassy.
In the attack 13 years ago, the Jewish community center was completely destroyed. A total of 85 people lost their lives, and hundreds more were injured.
The pain and sorrow we feel combines with the difficult feeling that those responsible for the attack, as with the previous attack, have not yet been brought to justice. But while they may remain anonymous, responsibility for the attack is not anonymous at all. After years of enquiries, the Argentinian investigative magistrate has concluded that it is Iran who is responsible for the attacks and for dispatching the murderers. The government of Argentina even appealed to Interpol to issue arrest warrants for several suspects, and this appeal was approved by the Interpol Executive Committee.
We denounce Iran before the entire world for standing behind many of the terrorist attacks around the world, for financing, training and arming terrorist organizations and for threatening to wipe Israel off the map.
At this difficult hour, the people and government of Israel identify with the bereaved families, with the Jewish community in Argentina and with all the people of Argentina. We would also like to congratulate the Jewish community which has managed to recover from the tragic events, to restore the community and maintain firm ties with the State of Israel. At the same time, we endorse the Argentinian government's efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Message by Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni on the 13th anniversary of the bombing of the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires
On the day that marks the 13th anniversary of the murderous, despicable attack on the Jewish community of Buenos Aires, we painfully recall the 85 fatalities and hundreds of casualties, victims of international terror. These victims join the dozens of fatalities and casualties, victims of the terrorist attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires two years previously. My heart, and the heart of the Israeli people, goes out to the Jewish community and to the people of Argentina.
The people and government of Israel share in your grief and in the feeling that justice has not yet been done. The miscreants who perpetrated this heinous crime against humanity still remain at large, able to plan additional attacks around the world. We must not capitulate in this war of terror, and the entire free world must be enlisted in the struggle against this hate-filled, destructive, fundamentalist terror. I fully support the Argentinian government in its efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice. Only an all-out war against these murderers, who never hesitate to strike, intentionally, at helpless civilians, will ensure a free and peaceful existence in this world.
We must take this opportunity to denounce before the entire world the state which stands behind international terror - Iran. We must not forget that the Nisman Report expressly states that Iran was the motivator of the attack on the AMIA Jewish community center. Iran arms, finances and trains terrorists around the world, and is determined to obtain nuclear weapons. By bringing the perpetrators to justice, we will be sending a clear, deterring message to the terror-mongers.
To the Jewish community of Argentina, we send our felicitations for the spiritual fortitude they have displayed and for their ability to rebuild and maintain the vibrant Jewish community life there. You have fulfilled the Jewish tradition of sanctity of life and love of others.
The display of solidarity today, by all the people of Argentina, is proof that many share our values. If we learn to unite and join forces, we will overcome evil and create a better world for ourselves and for our children. Preservation of historical memory is an essential element in building this world.