Premier Yitzhak Rabin declared today that Israel will not permit last night’s terrorist assault on Tel Aviv to interfere in any manner whatsoever with its efforts to achieve a peace settlement. “We shall continue to strive for peace but we will fight the terrorists and punish them for their murderous acts,” Rabin told reporters at Ichilov Hospital where he visited some of the persons wounded in last night’s gun battle with the terrorists.
Replying to questions, Rabin said that last night’s “murderous atrocity” was carried out by what some people choose to regard as “moderate” Arabs, Actually, he said, it has proven once again what the PLO stands for. “There will be no negotiations with the PLO, We shall meet them only on the battle front,” Rabin said.
He said the timing of the attack left no doubt that its motivation was political, intended to sabotage Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger’s latest peace efforts. He said that tension always rises on such occasions. “Our eyes are wide open here and in other places as well,” Rabin said.
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