President Moshe Katsav spoke for the Israeli people when he expressed his "deep shock over the disastrous and brutal terrorist attacks, perpetrated by heartless and bloodthirsty individuals."

Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres said, "This is not just an American tragedy, but a worldwide tragedy." He extended on Israel's behalf his "deepest condolences to the American people and leaders" and "expressed his rage and anger at the abominable acts of terrorism."Israel, he said, "grieves at this tragedy of unimaginable proportions."

Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak said, "We must join hands intelligence-wise and operationally" to stop what he called "these terrorist thugs." He welcomed the condemnation of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, but said that the condemnation was "coming from a person who has been encouraging terror his whole life and in recent months."

Netanyahu: "Only force works"
Former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said: "This is a turning point in history, and no one understands terror better than Israelis. We have been on the front lines against terror. Today the terrorists have hit the heart of the free world. We and the Americans represent the idea of freedom. The terrorists want to erase that idea."

Netanyahu referred to looming threats of biological and nuclear weapons. "If we don't act now, we will face even worse attacks that will undermine all free societies."

He added: "Time is now in our hands. Concerted efforts by democratic nations must be made now to uproot terror. Only force works. We must destroy the regimes that support terror.

There are addresses for the terrorists, Netanyahu said: "Bin-Laden. Saddam Hussein. Arafat."

Netanyahu said, "It is possible now to understand what is the significance of a Palestinian state-a terror state next door to our home."

Israel closes airspace to foreign carriers
Israel closed airspace to foreign carriers for 24 hours. The Israeli Air Force is on heightened alert, although security sources report that there are no specific warnings.

Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, in a statement, expressed both his deep shock and the State of Israel's sincerest condolences to the US government and the American people -- Israel's closest allies and friends -- over the disasters that struck them today.

He suggested that extremist Islamic terrorism is the main threat facing the nations of the free world today since its goal is to destroy everything connected to the values shared by democratic governments and western societies.

Ben-Eliezer has approved the dispatch of IDF rescue units to the US.

Ben-Eliezer is holding consultations with the security establishment in order to analyze the terrorist attacks in the US with the goal of being able to respond to possible scenarios.

© 2001 Koret Communications Ltd. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.