Washington, DC--Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) issued the following statement in response to the deadly bombing of a bus in Bulgaria carrying Israeli tourists, killing six and injuring over 30.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that “all the signs lead to Iran” in responsibility for the attack.  Bulgaria’s interior ministry called it a “deliberate attack.”

“The United States and the rest of the civilized world must stand with the Israel against terrorism. Until terrorism ceases against Israeli citizens there will not be peace in the Middle East.   The violence must stop, and must stop now.  I find it more than coincidental that on the 18^th anniversary of the bombing of the AMIA Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires, an Israeli target was attacked, this time in Europe.   We must stand up to the terrorists, wherever and whenever they strike.  The United States should provide whatever assistance Bulgaria requires to bring the perpetrators to justice. Should Iran or another nation be found responsible, it must be held accountable. 

“Let us keep all these victims and their families in our thoughts and prayers.”

Rep. Eliot L. Engel is a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. 

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