2 DEAD, DOZENS WOUNDED AT ISRAELI SHOPPING MALL: WIESENTHAL CENTER DENOUNCES ANNAN’S CALL FOR ISRAEL TO STOP ANTI-TERRORISM FENCE AS AN "OPEN INVITATION FOR MORE SUICIDE BOMBINGS"

The Simon Wiesenthal Center denounced UN Secretary General's Kofi Annan's call for Israel to stop the construction of its anti-terrorism fence.

"In wake of today's suicide bombing at a shopping mall just miles from the West bank that left two female shoppers dead and dozens injured, the government of Israel has the moral right and obligation to protect her innocent citizens from this scourge," charged Rabbi Abraham Cooper Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal center, a leading Jewish Human Rights NGO.

"It is incomprehensible that as London, Baghdad, and once again the coastal town of Netanya grapple with the horrific aftermath of such attacks that the Secretary General and the European Union would criticize Israel for rushing to complete this effective firewall against suicide terror. Stopping the completion of this most effective non-violent barrier against suicide bombing is a virtual open invitation for more such attacks," Cooper added.

"Of course Jerusalem should do everything in its power to minimize the difficulties innocent Palestinians will have to face with this temporary barrier, but the International community would better serve the cause of peace by demanding that the Palestinian Authority dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism that exists within the territory it controls," Rabbi Cooper concluded.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, and the Council of Europe.

For more information, please contact the Center's Public Relations Department, 310-553-9036, or visit www.wiesenthal.com.