"Israel's policy violates all laws and conventions," Maher told reporters in Cairo. "It is unprecedented for a government to become a gang which assassinates people, which uses the methods of gangs in assassinating people. No civilized government which believes in the law can accept this behavior."

He was speaking after a meeting with Reno Harnish, the U.S. chargé d'affaires in Cairo. Maher said he called Harnish in to express Egypt's concern about the Israeli attacks. "I told the American official that Egypt is surprised the United States has not responded to Israeli behavior with more decisiveness." Maher said he had asked Germany to press the United States to take a more decisive stance against Israel.

"This behavior has put peace in the region in danger and put the interests of all countries in the region, the United States and the West, in danger," he added. Egypt recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv last November in protest against what it said was Israel's excessive force against the Palestinian uprising.

The Israeli government is taking every step to protect it's population from terror attacks. Prime Minister Sharon has repeatedly requested that Arafat arrest those responsible for sending "human bombs" into Israel. US Vice President Cheney recently stated: "“If you’ve got an organization that has plotted or is plotting some kind of suicide bomber attack, for example, and Israel has hard evidence of who it is and where they’re located, I think there’s some justification in their trying to protect themselves by pre-empting.”

Israel is doing nothing which is basically different than any other nation. Egypt, rather than taking the easy way out in criticizing Israel for defending herself against brutal and barbaric attacks, should be talking with Arafat, Hamas and Islamic Jihad to cease the violence and implement the Tenet Agreement for a cease-fire.

Perhaps Israeli President Moshe Katzav has summed up Israel's humanistic, Democratic and Western values best by stating: "For us, killing civilians - unlike the Palestinians - is not our goal".