"Such attacks obstruct and sabotage the political process," Abbas said

RAMALLAH, June 10 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The failed Israeli attempt to assassinate Hamas leader Abdul Aziz al-Rantissi on Tuesday, June 10, has come under diatribe from Palestinian Premier Mahmoud Abbas, Arab foreign ministers and U.S. President George Bush, fearing it would stymie efforts to re-launch the dormant Mideast peace process.

Upon hearing of the Israeli crime, Abbas demanded immediate action from the U.S., a statement released by his office said.

He conveyed an urgent message to the U.S. administration expressing his condemnation of this attack and warning of "the grave dangers facing the implementation of the roadmap as a result of this Israeli action," the statement said.

"Such attacks obstruct and sabotage the political process," Abbas said in the statement, describing the assassination attempt as "criminal and terrorist,"reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Israeli helicopters fired several missiles on Rantissi's car in a mid-morning strike in Gaza City, which injured Rantissi, his son and 27 others and killed three Palestinians.

Abbas countered suggestions that the attack would further undermine his standing with Palestinian groups.

"The prime minister emphasized that the Palestinian government will continue our consultations with all Palestinians to reach an understanding and an agreement, despite this foolish Israeli attack," the statement said.

Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amr said the attack on Rantissi "seriously threatens" peace efforts launched with a summit of U.S., Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Jordan last week.

"Such acts seriously threaten efforts to resume the process and we believe the intention is precisely to damage these efforts," he charged.

Nabil Abu Rudeina, an adviser to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, called the Israeli strike a "new escalation" in Israel's "policy of assassination" and urged the U.S. to put heavy pressure on Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon to stop daily aggression.

"These attempts are going to destroy every single effort carried out by the Palestinian government to reach a truce and to find a political solution," Rudeina told CNN.

Condemned

Arab foreign ministers meeting in the Bahraini capital Manama condemned the Israeli crime, accusing Tel Aviv of seeking to quash revived peace hopes.

Israel's helicopter raid that wounded the Palestinian leader in Gaza City was "an act that is condemned, condemned, condemned," said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara said "everyone has denounced this operation," which was "part of Israel's attempts to torpedo the situation created by the roadmap".

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, for his part, accused Israel of "pretending to implement the roadmap while carrying on with its aggressive policy" against innocent Palestinians.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa told reporters the attempt on the life of the senior Hamas leader "threatens the peace process".

The attack violates the roadmap, said Moussa, accusing Israel of trying to "thwart any attempt to establish a just and comprehensive peace" in the Middle East.

The Arab diplomats spoke after a one-day meeting of an Arab League ministerial committee entrusted with following up on Arab summit resolutions.

'Deeply-Troubled'

The White House spokesman, meanwhile, stressed Bush was "deeply troubled" by Israel's attempted assassination.

"The president is deeply troubled by the strike. The president is concerned the strike will undermine efforts by Palestinian authorities and others to bring an end to terrorist attacks," Ari Fleischer told reporters.

"It does not contribute to the security of Israel," he said in a rare burst of U.S. criticism at the government of Sharon.

Fleischer said officials from Bush's National Security Council and from the U.S. State Department had already spoken by telephone to Israeli and Palestinian officials, asserting that sides must stay committed to peace.

"What's important now is that all parties keep on a track to implementing the roadmap," said the White House spokesman.

The attack came just a day after the U.S. leader declared he was "optimistic" that a recent wave of anti-Israeli violence would not derail the "march to peace" in the region.

'Justified'

On the other extreme, Israeli officials were unapologetic.

"All efforts by Israel to eliminate terrorist leaders are justified," claimed Israeli Justice Minister Tommy Lapid, quoted by his spokesman Tzahi Moshe.

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, said the Palestinian Authority must curb "militants with more than mere words," the Israeli Haaretz newspaper reported on its web site.

Shalom further said Israel would continue to act to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks.

"We won't allow extremists to be the ones to decide when the peace process will go on or not. This leaves the entire peace process hostage to the Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. Therefore, it would be well for [the Palestinian Authority] to act quickly against the Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, and other groups, to give new hope to this region," he alleged.

"Otherwise, we will remain where we've been for the past three years," he argued.

Shalom also dismissed Abbas's criticism, saying, "Palestinians are supposed to know by themselves that as long as there is terrorism, there cannot be peace."

Analysts fear that the attack shattered hopes for a revived peace process and was the most blatant violation of the roadmap since last week's U.S.-sponsored summits in Egypt and Jordan, where both sides pledged their commitment to the blueprint.