(Communicated by the Office of the President)
“The atrocious murder of an innocent baby girl, a victim of indiscriminate terrorism, should disgust all those who have a heart.
The increasing incitement on the Arab streets and the streets of Jerusalem, which unfortunately receives the backing of leaders in the Arab world, has the ability to destroy the delicate balance of life in Jerusalem, and carry us all into a maelstrom of destruction and pain.
As a sovereign people in our own country, and capital city, it is the security forces alone, who have the responsibility to act, decisively and unashamedly, in the face of these brutal terrorist operations.
At such difficult times, our hearts are with the bereaved family and we pray for a quick and complete recovery of the wounded.”
* * *
Speaking the following day, President Rivlin said:
“I joined last night, at midnight, in the
funeral of baby Chaya Zissel, and I saw the profound pain, the pain of a
family, the pain of a people, the pain of a mother, and the pain of Jerusalem.
This atrocious, indiscriminate, murder of an innocent
child - just as the murders of Shalhevet
Pas in Hebron, the Fogel
children in Itamar, or the Sandler
children in Toulouse - should horrify anyone with a heart.
The perpetrators of terrorism, their
supporters, backers and funders, will go to any length to prevent and harm our
ability to walk safely in the streets of Jerusalem, and allow the city to
flourish and prosper. We must stand
determined to safeguard the peace of Jerusalem, and the wellbeing of her
residents. To continue in our daily
lives, to insist on overseeing the graves of our forbearers on the Mount of
Olives, and go without fear to the Western Wall, the vestige of our Holy
Temple.
Jerusalem will always have those who love her
and answer her call.
It is the responsibility and obligation of
the security forces, and them alone, to act outright, and unashamedly in the
face of these cruel terrorists; the perpetrators, their dispatchers, and the
supporters of harming the innocent."