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Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini:"We see Hamas denying any involvement, but at the end of the day it congratulates the perpetrators."
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ROME (AFP)---Italy's Foreign Minister on Wednesday strongly condemned the bulldozer attack that left three people dead in Jerusalem, saying it was necessary to be "even firmer" with "those who kill innocent people," Italian news agency Ansa reported.
"I don't consider Hamas as someone we can talk to and I respect the position of Israel that its security must come before everything else," Franco Frattini told journalists.
"We see Hamas denying any involvement, but at the end of the day it congratulates the perpetrators," Frattini, a former European Commissioner in charge of justice and security, said.
A Palestinian killed three people and wounded 45 more as he rammed a bulldozer into buses and cars before being shot dead by Israeli police who branded it a terror attack.
The Palestinian movement Hamas which rules the Gaza Strip called the attack "the natural result of continuing Israeli aggression and crimes against our people in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem."
"This umpteenth attack shows the road to eradicating terrorism is still long. It strengthens my view that we cannot have a working relationship with terrorists," Frattini said.
"We offer our total solidarity to the innocent Israeli victims and we want them to know how we feel. We must be even more firm and more clear. The peace process will come about thanks to a real political will, and this does not mean a willingness to talk with those who kill innocent people," he said.
