Middle East Shooting Claims Two American Lives President Barack Obama addresses the shooting which claimed the lives of two American citizens. (Photo - New York Times Archives) THE death toll in the Mid- dle East continues to rise after yet another shooting in the nations capital took the lives of two Americans. It is alleged a tourist bus was travelling through Da- hab in the Sinai when it was at- tacked, resulting in the Amer- ican citizens suffering gunfire wounds and passing soon after. President Barack Obama has condemned the attacks, demanding Egyp- tian officials come forward with details of the event. Obama ensured the
wounded were supplied with medical supplies and other treatment, however the pair died shortly after the attack. My thoughts and sympathies are with the fami- lies of the two American tourists murdered in Dahab, he said. The Minister for De- fence, Chuck Hagel, has la- belled the attack a horrific and unfortunate tragedy, stating the White House was great- ly saddened by the event. U.S Officials are waiting for circumstantial details to be released by Egypt before fur- ther inquisitions can be made. An Egyptian citizen was also killed in the attack. By Jake Quade Red Cross Urges Donations for Trying Times in the Middle East THE International Committee of the Red Cross claims services to refugee camps are at the point of collapse, following se- vere conflict in the Middle East. Currently the most pressing issue is said to be stemming from the Syri- an Civil War, with many cit- izens having to be relocated for the sake of their wellbeing. With over 2.5 million people fleeing the war zone, Red Cross says funding and support needs for refuges have reached an all-time high. Red Cross asks for donations of resourc- es or money to help aid cit- izens in this time of need. We welcome and pledge for new private donors to come on-board and assist in our mis- sion to grant humanitarian re- lief in times of conflict and vi- olence, said a representative. By Emma Ryan Israel Will Not Go Unpunished THE United Nations, in an attempt to cool rising ten- sions, has urged Israel and Palestine to come together and negotiate peace talks between the two states. The President of the West Bank, Mahmoud Ab- bas, issued a statement to the media detailing the con- tinuous abuse and attacks on Palestinian villages, and their civilians, showing that any diplomacy between the two regions will not be ev- ident in the near future. The violent actions against Palestinians and their children will not be tolerat- ed. I do not understand how Israel can claim to be a pro- ponent of peace when they invade Palestinian territory to injure, coerce and mur- der Palestinians, he said. Uniting Gaza with West Bank will only benefit peace, as West Bank sup- ports non-violence and will not tolerate Hamas spon- sored violence against Israel. We expect that Isra- el withdraws its troops from our land, otherwise we cannot hold negoti- ations or peace talks. Also adding to the turmoil is the recent YouTube video of the Israeli soldiers who ma- liciously attacked a 14-year- old Palestinian boy, whose hands were bound and, while being struck with a rifle butt, was seen been dragged un- conscious into a vehicle. Hezbollah, a politi- cal group based in Lebanon, has responded to the recent violence saying, To our brothers in Palestine; Israel will not be left unpunished. Israels abuse against Pales- tine will be met with a fierce response. The UNs position on the hostile relations of the two states has remained constant throughout the conflict, with Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary, declaring that an end to the conflict will come once the two regions learn to coexist peacefully. The UN expects that the two parties of Israel and Palestine shall come closer to reaching a political ac- cord that shall allow them to peacefully co-exist. I call on the international commu- nity to support the parties in this ambitious endeav- our to fulfil the two state solution, bringing about an end to the conflict. As peace talks seem far from the agenda of Is- raeli, many hope this on- going occupation from the two states ceases to a harmonious resolution. Palestinians display outrage on recent Israeli attacks By Katherine Cannon To donate call the Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767 or visit their website, www.redcross. org