The 'Palestinian' Authority had shown an "unacceptable" performance in trying to prosecute those behind the deadly bombing of a U.S. convoy entering Gaza last year, the U.S. State Department said Friday. "We haven't seen them demonstrate either the will, much less the capacity, to investigate the case seriously," department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "We have seen statements from time to time by Palestinian officials that they know who did it. And if that's true, then they should take immediate action to arrest and prosecute whoever did it," Boucher said.
Three American security guards were killed when a roadside bomb exploded on October 15, 2003 as the convoy was entering Gaza, and the United States has since demanded the Palestinian prosecute those responsible. The three guards were contractors from the security firm DynCorp and were protecting the convoy on its way to interview Palestinian candidates for Fulbright scholarships. The Palestinians have arrested suspects in connection with the attack, but the United States has been suspicious of the credibility of those arrests. "At the time that they made those arrests we expressed certain skepticism that they had arrested the people who were really responsible for these crimes, and felt that there was further serious investigation and action that needed to be taken," Boucher said. |