Israel Responds to the Bombings in Boston
In their remarks, President Peres and PM Netanyahu sent their condolences to the victims and their families of the terrorist attack on the marathon in Boston, expressed Israel's solidarity with the American people and condemned the bombings.
President Shimon Peres:
(Communicated by the Office of the President)
"Permit me to express our solidarity with the bereaved families in Boston today. Three people lost their lives, 140 were wounded and I want to send on behalf of all of us, our condolences to all the families and wish a speedy recovery to all the injured. When it comes to events like this, all of us are one family. We feel a part of the people who paid such a high price. God bless them. Today the real problem is terror and terror is not an extension of policy, their policy is terror, their policy is to threaten. Terrorists divide people, they kill innocent people."
PM Benjamin Netanyahu:
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
"Yesterday, a day of enjoyment in Boston was turned into a day of terror. We send our condolences to President Obama, the American people and the bereaved families. On this day and on any day, Israel stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the American people. We are partners in freedom and in seeking a better future for all humanity."
Dr. Alasdair Conn, the chief of emergency services at Massachusetts General Hospital, credited Israel with training the hospital’s first-response team and readying it to deal with mass-casualty incidents.
While briefing media hours after the devastating attack that killed three people and wounded hundreds others near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, Dr. Alasdair Conn said that the scene of the carnage and the horrific injuries sustained by the victims were reminiscent of “a bomb explosion that we hear about in the news in Baghdad or Israel.”
Afterward he added, “About two years ago, in actual fact, we asked the Israelis to come across, and they helped us set up our disaster team so that we could respond in this kind of manner.”