International   

Israel’s concern over trapped nationals

DUBAI: Israeli media is reporting that eight Israelis are trapped inside Nariman House in Mumbai where a Jewish centre is located following the attacks on Wednesday.

The Jerusalem Post, quoting Moni Ender, a spokesman in Israel for the Chabad Lubavitch Centre situated inside Nariman House, said those inside the building included Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka Holtzberg.

According to Israel Radio, several Israelis were also being held at the Trident/Oberoi Hotel. The Post said Sandra Samuel, an employee with the Chabad Centre managed to flee from the house with Mr. Holtzberg’s toddler son. Ms. Samuel said the rabbi and his wife, along with two other guests were alive, but unconscious.

Media reports also said flights between India and Israel had not been disrupted. One of these flights had flown in a team of Israeli doctors to Mumbai. Joshua Runyan, the news editor of the website Chabad.org, has written that representatives of Chabad-Lubavitch in New York and Israel were working alongside the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai and a volunteer team of local residents “to ascertain the well being of the Holtzbergs and other Jews in the area.”

The Mumbai attacks have evoked strong condemnation elsewhere in the region. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, who heads the 22-member grouping, said such “criminal and terrorist acts aggravate the vicious circle of violence and counter-violence.”

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak condemned the attacks and said his country “stands by the side of New Delhi in countering terrorism, state news agency MENA reported. The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s main opposition group, also condemned the terrorist attacks and called for the execution of the perpetrators. “These despicable acts of terror are an attack on humanity in general, not against people from certain nationalities or civilisation,” said a statement on the Brotherhood’s website. “We hope that perpetrators of these heinous [acts] be brought to justice to receive the ultimate punishment for their crimes,” said the statement.

A spokesperson of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has also strongly condemned the strikes. Its spokesperson emphasised that such violent acts run counter to all human values and that they can “in no way be justified.”

Regional heavyweight Iran has also slammed the Mumbai attacks. “Iran is also a victim of terrorist attacks and is ready to fight against such evil acts on all levels,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi in a statement.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Bush, Obama condemn Mumbai terror attacks
U.K. intelligence suspects Al-Qaeda hand
Israel’s concern over trapped nationals
Prabakaran reaches out to India
Messages of outrage from Europe
Stand-off continues in Thailand
Russia to host BRIC summit in 2009
China: opposed to any form of terrorism
France: compensation for n-test victims
Rice discusses situation with Zardari
Tense minutes and hours

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu