HIGHLIGHTS: Peres & Ben Eliezer Say Syria Shares in the Blame for the Megiddo Attack||Syria's UN Security Council President Asked to Circulate an Israeli Letter on the Subject as Council Document||Palestinians Meanwhile Demand UN Security Council Condemn Israel's six-hour retribution attack on Arafat's Compound in Ramallah, Thursday|| STORY: Israeli foreign Minister Shimon Peres Thursday lashed out at Syria saying it shares in the blame for Wednesday's Megiddo bus bombing, because Damascus is harboring what he called terrorist organizations.

Peres made the accusation during a series of media interviews, including one with Qatar-based al-Jazeera television, in which he noted that Islamic Jihad leader Abdallah Ramadan Shalah gave the orders for the deadly attack from his base in Damascus. (Read photo caption)

Peres, speaking to reporters at the Israel Export Institute Conference in Tel Aviv, said Syria plays host to no fewer than what he calls 10 terror organizations headquartered in Damascus, including Islamic Jihad.

Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer also blamed Syria for ultimately being responsible for the attack, when he visited the wounded in Ha'emek Hospital yesterday evening.

AN ISRAELI LETTER TO SYRIAN UN SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

Ambassador to the UN Yehuda Lancry sent a letter Thursday detailing Syria's responsibility for Wednesday's attack near Megiddo to Ambassador Mikhail Wehbe of Syria, current president of the Security Council.

"Israel is appalled that a member of the Security Council continues to lend its support to organizations committed to deliberate murder of civilians," Lancry wrote.

Noting that Syria assumed leadership of the 15-member body at a time when Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the council have made fighting international terrorism a top priority, Lancry wrote, "It is astounding that Syria is brazenly supporting attempts to subvert anti-terrorist objectives of an international body of which it itself is president.

The letter included a request that Wehbe circulate the text as an official council document.

A LETTER FROM THE PALESTINIANS DEMANDS CONDEMNATION OF ISRAELI ATTACK AGAINST ARAFAT'S COMPOUND IN RAMALLAH THURSDAY

Thursday was the sixth day of Syria's closely watched council presidency, which extends through the end of June.

Diplomats had expressed quiet satisfaction that Syria proposed only one closed Mideast meeting so far, which is scheduled for next week.

The council also received a letter Thursday from the Palestinians, who demanded international condemnation of the six-hour Israeli retribution attack and immediate Security Council intervention to end such incursions.

"The international community must condemn this latest criminal and extremely dangerous Israeli action in the strongest terms," Nasser Al-Kidwa, the Palestinian U.N. observer, said in his letter to the council. "As Israel continues to perpetrate such dangerous and destructive actions ... immediate intervention by the council has become imperative for bringing an end to these Israeli actions and for ensuring implementation of ... Security Council resolutions."

But the divided council couldn't even agree on a statement to the press.

According to council diplomats, Wehbe proposed that the council issue a statement demanding implementation of those resolutions. They called for an end to 20 months of violence, a return to negotiations, and a peace deal culminating in the establishment of a Palestinian state.

U.S. deputy ambassador James Cunningham wanted a reference to the suicide bombing included and Britain, China, France, Russia, Ireland, Guinea and others supported him, diplomats said. But Syria said there would then have to be a condemnation of Israel's incursion and there was no consensus, diplomats said.

PHOTO CAPTION

Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said in a Reuters interview on May 24, 2002 that the Palestinian Authority needs to unify its security forces and Israel must offer Palestinians economic and political rewards in any future peace efforts. Peres presented a peace plan last week calling for the immediate establishment of a Palestinian state. REUTERS/Havakuk Levison
- May 24 9:38 AM ET