The terrorist murder of eight IDF soldiers on Wednesday was covered widely by the newspapers of the region. Iran's official IRNA news agency, for instance, said that Israel's leaders were stunned by the attack, and: "have vowed to 'punish the terrorists...' Zionist prime minister-elect, Ariel Sharon, who is also a convicted war criminal, condemned the operation, describing it as a 'terrorist act,' said a dispatch from al-Qods. He said that his priority as Prime Minister would be to restore 'security' to the Zionists. The outgoing premier Ehud Barak also threatened to hit hard on 'terrorist leaders.' He urged Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat to do more to 'combat terrorism.'"



Arutz Sheva notes that much may be gleaned of IRNA'S attitude towards today's attack - and towards Arab terrorism against Israel in general - by the agency's use of quotation marks when referring to the Palestinian actions as terrorism. IRNA notes that PA officials "blamed the Israeli occupation regime for the operation, describing it as boomerang effect of Zionist atrocities against the Palestinian people." Voice of Israel Radio today cited Arafat's speech today in Arabic on Voice of Palestine radio; he did not condemn the murders. Instead, he argued that they were the natural outcome of Israel's so-called hard-line stance in the diplomatic process.