Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed Israel's grief Wednesday over the murder of the U.S. Ambassador in Libya and three consulate workers.
"Today we were informed of the tragic murder of the American Ambassador in Libya and the murder of three consulate workers in the American consulate in Benghazi," he said. "The people of Israel grieve with the American people; we send our condolences to the families."
"If there's any people in the world that understands what Americans are going through, what they went through in 9/11, it's the people of Israel, who've been standing at the forefront of the battle against terrorism, who've lost loved ones and who deeply, deeply sympathize with the people of America at this time."
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that many Americans are asking themselves how an incident like this could happen. "How could this happen in a country we helped liberate, in a city we helped save from destruction? This question reflects just how complicated and, at times, how confounding the world can be."
"But we must be clear-eyed, even in our grief," she added. "This was an attack by a small and savage group – not the people or Government of Libya. Everywhere [Ambassador] Chris [Stevens] and his team went in Libya, in a country scarred by war and tyranny, they were hailed as friends and partners. And when the attack came yesterday, Libyans stood and fought to defend our post. Some were wounded. Libyans carried Chris’ body to the hospital, and they helped rescue and lead other Americans to safety. And last night, when I spoke with the President of Libya, he strongly condemned the violence and pledged every effort to protect our people and pursue those responsible."
"The friendship between our countries, borne out of shared struggle, will not be another casualty of this attack. A free and stable Libya is still in America’s interest and security, and we will not turn our back on that, nor will we rest until those responsible for these attacks are found and brought to justice. We are working closely with the Libyan authorities to move swiftly and surely. We are also working with partners around the world to safeguard other American embassies, consulates, and citizens."