In the evening hours of Friday, March 11th, Udi Fogel, 37, and Ruth Fogel, 36, and their three children, 10-year-old Yoav, four-year-old Elad and three-month old Hadas were killed in the Israeli community of Itamar.

Following are remarks from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, U.S. President Barack Obama, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Ambassador Michael Oren and the Middle East Quartet about the massacre in Itamar:

"I would like to express my deep outrage, outrage which is certainly felt by every Israeli over the murder of a young family – father, mother, eleven-year-old boy, four-year-old-boy and four-month-old girl.  Three orphaned children have been left in this family.  One of the girls saw her parents and siblings stabbed to death.  The family was brutally murdered in their sleep on the Sabbath.  

"We embrace and support the orphans and the other members of the family. We embrace and support our brothers who reside in Judea and Samaria.  Do not be disheartened.  I know that this is a difficult time for us, but the entire nation is with you.  Since the disaster, this awful murder, became known I have held discussions with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, IDF Chief-of-Staff, Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz, ISA Director Yuval Diskin and other senior security officials.  I instructed them to make every effort to find the murderers and not to rest until they have been found and brought to justice.

"I expect the international community to sharply and unequivocally condemn this murder, the murder of children.  I have noticed that several countries that always hasten to the UN Security Council in order to condemn Israel, the state of the Jews, for planning a house in some locality, or for laying some tiles somewhere have been dilatory in sharply condemning the murder of Jewish infants.  I expect them to issue such condemnations immediately, without balances, without understandings, without justifications. 

"There is no justification and there can be neither excuse nor forgiveness for the murder of children.  I expect a similar condemnation, and I demand a similar condemnation, from the Palestinian Authority.  I am disappointed by the weak and mumbled statements.  This is not how one condemns terrorism.  This is not how one fights terrorism.  See how Israeli prime ministers, myself among them, have reacted in similar situations, but there has never been anything like this, in which terrorists entered a home and cut children's throats.

"This requires sharp and unequivocal condemnation. This requires something else.  This requires a halt to the incitement.  I demand that the Palestinian Authority stop the incitement that is conducted on a daily basis in their schools, mosques and the media under their control.  The time has come to stop this double-talk in which the Palestinian Authority outwardly talks peace, and allows – and sometimes leads – incitement at home.  The time has come to stop the incitement and begin educating their people for peace.

"Despite all the awful pain, I call upon all Israelis to act responsibly, with restraint, and not to take the law into their own hands.  When one takes the law into his own hands, there is no law.  The IDF and the security forces will carry out their responsibilities; only they.  We will not allow terrorism to determine the settlement map.  The settlement map will be determined by Government policy, which is in accordance with our national interests, with security first and foremost.  Terrorism will not determine the settlement map.  We will determine it."

There are no words of consolation in the face of this devastation.  Our hearts are with the orphans and with the community of Itamar during this extremely difficult time.  I am sure that the security forces will make every possible effort in order to capture the murderers and bring them to the appropriate justice."

 
United States President Barack Obama
“There is no possible justification for the killing of parents and children in their home. We call on the Palestinian Authority to unequivocally condemn this terrorist attack.”

United States Secretary of State Hilary Clinton
“I was shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the brutal murder of an Israeli family early Saturday morning in the West Bank. The United States condemns this appalling attack in the strongest possible terms. To kill three innocent children and their parents while they sleep is an inhuman crime for which there can be no justification. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victims and with all the people of Israel. The murderers must be found and brought to justice. Israeli security forces have launched a thorough investigation and we look to the Palestinian authorities to assist in every way possible.”

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael B. Oren
Ambassador Oren unequivocally condemns the massacre of five innocent Israelis in the community of Itamar by Palestinian terrorists.

The Ambassador also expresses his profound disappointment with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and President Mahmoud Abbas, who could not bring themselves to unreservedly condemn the massacre, and the NY Times, which describes the victims, including a two month old baby, as “settlers,” thereby dehumanizing them.

 
The Quartet
The following statement was issued in New York by the Middle East Quartet (United Nations, European Union, Russian Federation, and the United States):

The Quartet condemns in the strongest possible terms the violent murder of an Israeli family of five, including three young children, in the West Bank today. The Quartet offers their condolences to the loved ones of the victims and to the Israeli people. Attacks on any civilians are completely unacceptable in any circumstance. The Quartet calls on those responsible to be brought to justice and welcomes the strong condemnation of this attack by President Abbas and the Palestinian leadership.

The Quartet emphasized the need to expedite efforts to achieve Israeli-Palestinian and comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace.