LONDON, Aug. 31 (Xinhuanet) -- British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw condemned on Tuesday the bus bomb attack in Israel, and urged the Palestinian Authority to take action against despicable bombings.

    Dozens of Israelis were killed or wounded in the bomb attack against two buses in Beersheba, Israel, on Tuesday, and the militant group Hamas claimed responsibility, saying it was avenging the assassinations by Israeli forces of two of its leaders last spring.

    Reacting to the attacks, Straw said in a statement published onthe website of Foreign Office that "I am deeply shocked by the bomb attack against two buses in Beersheba today. Attacks of this kind cannot be justified under any circumstances. My sympathies are with the families and loved ones of those killed and with the injured."

    "We have urged the Palestinian Authority to make greater efforts to take action against those planning such despicable attacks and fulfill their roadmap commitments on security. More needs to be done by both sides to work towards a peaceful settlement," he continued. Enditem