The Register-Guard · Eugene, OR · 13 October 1985
CP-1985-020
White House, Arafat condemn U.S. bombing
By the Los Angeles Times
Transcribed from the clipping
SANTA ANA, Calif. — The bombing of a pro-Arab group’s offices that killed its director Friday was condemned Saturday by the White House and Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat.
No one has taken responsibility for the blast at the headquarters of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee that killed Alex Odeh, 41, the group’s West Coast regional director. However, group members and Odeh’s family believe the bombing was linked to Odeh’s defense of the PLO in two TV interviews Thursday night.
“The administration deeply deplores this tragic event, and condemns in the strongest possible terms the criminal use of violence and terrorism to achieve political ends,” White House deputy press secretary Larry Speakes said in a statement Saturday.
“To think even for a moment that there exists a justification for such heinous acts does grave injustice to the principles of political freedom upon which this country was founded. The President extends his sincere condolences to Mr. Odeh’s widow, Norma, and his three small daughters, as well as to other members of the family,” the statement said.
Arafat told a news conference in Dakar, Senegal, that the bombing of the offices and the U.S. interception of an Egyptian plane carrying four Palestinians suspected of hijacking the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro were “both terrorist acts.” “I want to denounce the attack in California against pro-Palestinian activists,” Arafat said.
“This was carried out by a band of terrorists protected by the American administration. As yet, the United States has not arrested these criminals.”
Cite this clipping
"White House, Arafat condemn U.S. bombing," The Register-Guard, 13 October 1985, p. 7A. Covering Palestine archive, CP-1985-020. https://coveringpalestine.org/archive/cp-1985-020
More from The Register-Guard
- West Bank to have new Jewish outpostsThe Register-Guard · 26 January 1981
- ‘Palestine’ still a knotty issueThe Register-Guard · 2 September 1982
- PalestiniansThe Register-Guard · 4 December 1983
- Education more than anything else distinguishes PalestiniansThe Register-Guard · 4 December 1983
- Palestinian negotiator enters self-rule areasThe Register-Guard · 10 September 1994
- Palestinian news agency appeals for halt to attacksThe Register-Guard · 4 August 2001
- 9 more from this paper in the full text →
More from the 1980s
- Northern Border Secured, Says Israeli EnvoyThe Arizona Republic · 3 February 1985
- U.S. says murdered Palestinian symbolizes peace dangersBroken Arrow Ledger · 20 March 1985
- Israel Said to Seize Control Over 52% Of West Bank LandThe New York Times · 1 April 1985
- PLO Propaganda Offensive Becomes Intense in ArgentinaSt. Louis Jewish Light · 17 April 1985
- Lebanese militia fighters exchange machine-gun fireTalahasee Democrat · 23 June 1985
- No Travel Permits to U.N. ConferenceTelegram & Gazette · 10 July 1985
- All 527 clippings from the 1980s →
Last updated 2 November 2026
This record is part of Covering Palestine, an archive of American newspaper clippings about Palestinians, 1724 to 2023. Researched and assembled by Maria Robles.
The clipping belongs to the newspaper that printed it, or to the news agency that supplied the copy. It is reproduced here for research, criticism and commentary. A city here is where the newspaper was published, not where the story came from, and on most records it was taken from the masthead.
Something wrong here, or something you know about this clipping? The archive is still being built and corrections are wanted: maria@rozumstudio.com, quoting CP-1985-020.
Everything printed in 1985 · Printed on this day · See it in the archive reel · Full text of every clipping · Dataset