Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., June 10, 2008 Sivan 7, 5768 | | Israel Time: 04:45 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Advertising
Books Peres Conference Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Prime Minister Olmert speaking to a Knesset panel on Monday (Tess Shaflan/Jini)
Last update - 19:39 03/03/2008
PM: Peace talks to continue, but so will strikes against Hamas
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent, and news agencies
Tags: Rice, Gaza, Olmert, Israel

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that despite the Palestinian Authority's declared suspension of peace talks over the weekend, negotiations with the Palestinian Authority would continue.

At the same time, Olmert said, Israeli forces would continue to strike hard at Hamas.

Speaking after the IDF's early morning withdrawal from the Gaza Strip on Monday, Olmert said that Israel would take further military action against militants firing rockets.
Advertisement
"We are in the midst of a combat action. What happened in recent days was not a one-time event," an Israeli official quoted Olmert as telling the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

"The objective is reducing the rocket fire and weakening Hamas," Olmert said. The Israeli pullout ended a five-day-long offensive in which more than 100 Palestinians were killed.

Speaking to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Olmert said, "We must decide if we are interested in a serious peace process, or simply want to perfume ourselves with self-righteousness, causing Hamas to arise in the West Bank."

He said he government's policy will be to continue to strike at Hamas, "which is uninterested in any structure of understanding with us, and to continue with diplomatic negotiations with the Authority."

"The diplomatic horizon is what affords us the elementary right to self-defense," Olmert declared.

Referring to Israeli fears that Hamas will take over the West Bank as it did the Gaza Strip, Olmert added that "There is no way to prevent the process of Gaza'ization of the West Bank without proposing a diplomatic horizon."

"Whoever fails to see that, is simply lying to himself.

Meanwhile, senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that peace talks, which Washington hopes can result in a statehood deal this year, would remain frozen for now.

"We are working hard to reach a full calm, a full cessation of hostilities. We want to make sure that what happened will not reoccur," Erekat said.

Olmert to speak with Rice about Gaza action

Olmert will stress to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at their scheduled meeting in Jerusalem on Tuesday evening that Israel reserves the right to act freely in the Gaza Strip against Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups.

Olmert will also tell Rice that Israel is interested in continuing negotiations with moderate elements in the Palestinian Authority. In Olmert's view, Israeli military activity in Gaza in the past few days has got the message across that Hamas needs to rethink its strategy.

"Israel will not consent to the equation that Hamas wants to dictate in the Gaza Strip by firing on Ashkelon. We will be the ones to create the equation, not Hamas," he said at Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting.

That was also the main message to emerge from a consultation Olmert held Sunday with the defense and foreign ministers, IDF chief of staff, and heads of the Shin Bet and Mossad intelligence agencies.

For now, Olmert has instructed the defense establishment to maintain the current level of activity, which he feels has yet to be exhausted.

IDF military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin provided a broader perspective on the situation at Sunday's cabinet meeting.

"The fact that Iran, Syria and Hezbollah are not shooting now does not mean they are out of the battle," he said. "Everyone is watching to see how the conflict in Gaza will end, to decide how to act."

According to Yadlin, Hamas was pressured into deciding "that the situation is intolerable and that the siege must be broken and a different equation forged in the conflict with Israel."

Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin suggested that Hamas wants calm in Gaza so that at a later stage it can take over the West Bank. Diskin added that "Hamas has a greater advantage in combat in the built-up area," which dictates the IDF's current modus operandi.

Diskin said Hamas was surprised by the intensity of Israel's response, and by the fact that even when it cut back its rocket fire, Israel continued to attack. He emphasized that Hamas can stop the rocket fire if it wants to.

"If Hamas understands that continued fire endangers its assets, it will try to arrange with the other organizations for the fire to stop," Diskin said.

IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi told the cabinet that the Palestinians are using civilians in rocket operations. "In one case we saw an old Palestinian man leave Jabalya with a wagon in which a Grad missile was concealed. He stopped, as though at random, beside an orchard, to which two gunmen came, took the missile, placed it on a launcher and launched it," Ashkenazi said.

In response to criticism from abroad that Israel is using excessive force in Gaza and killing civilians, Olmert said at the meeting: "Israel is defending its residents in the South, and with all due respect, nothing will prevent it from defending them, and no one has a right to preach to us for acting in self-defense."


b>Related articles:
  • Defense Min.: Hamas has given us no choice but to continue Gaza op
  • ANALYSIS: Hamas wants lull in Gaza but only on its own terms
  • 10 Gazans killed, 4 troops hurt in ongoing IDF op
  • 2 Israelis lightly wounded as 33 rockets slam in western Negev
  • U.S. calls for end to continued violence, return to peace talks
  • Barak to hold meeting on legality of striking civilian areas in Gaza
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Sign of life
    Family of abducted IDF solider Gilad Shalit receives new sign of life.
    Happy Jews
    San Francisco museum details positive impact of Jews on city.
      1.   Israel is completely out of control. 02:20  |  Deborah 03/03/08
      2.   Frank to "PM" Olmerde 02:34  |  Frank 03/03/08
      3.   `Interested in talks` 02:39  |  Colin Wright 03/03/08
      4.   `Everyone is watching` 02:43  |  Colin Wright 03/03/08
      5.   Olmert will pass to history as... 02:45  |  kaled 03/03/08
      6.   act freely 03:03  |  Shmuelshachor 03/03/08
      7.   As if the IDF terrorists know anything about restraint and morals 03:15  |  anti-racist 03/03/08
      8.   PM to tell Rice 03:20  |  Maury 03/03/08
      9.   will rice pay for israeli damage? no peace possible with hamas 03:21  |  ralph 03/03/08
      10.   Tell Her "Eitherf Your WITH THe Terrorists Or Against Them!" 03:24  |  Ben K 03/03/08
      11.   Colin Wright,good posts,it`s time the international community 03:27  |  lakshmi 03/03/08
      12.   #1 Colin Wrong 03:36  |  * BEN JABO 03/03/08
      13.   #2 Colin Wrong - Just keep this motto in mind 03:40  |  * BEN JABO 03/03/08
      14.   To #7 03:43  |  Boris 03/03/08
      15.   Trust but verify 03:45  |  American Christian 03/03/08
      16.   "moderate" bs excuse used by israel nonstop 03:53  |  raw truth 03/03/08
      17.   Re- 11 04:04  |  American lady 03/03/08
      18.   PM to tell Rice 04:09  |  Maurice Zaslawsky 03/03/08
      19.   Well, at least Olmert is being honest.... 04:10  |  Johnboy 03/03/08
      20.   #10 Brutal occupation in the worst kind of terrorism, killing and 04:15  |  tim 03/03/08
      21.   #1 deborah 04:47  |  dan 03/03/08
      22.   Gaza 19 children killed by Israel= terrorist nation 05:23  |  Mark 03/03/08
      23.   Another trip to Jerusalem for Rice ?? 05:24  |  Avrum 03/03/08
      24.   American Christian 05:36  |  DP 03/03/08
      25.   Israel has no `rights` in Gaza. None! 05:58  |  POP 03/03/08
      26.   "Israel reserves the right to act freely in Gaza.." 06:07  |  Silvienne 03/03/08
      27.   #4, Colin Wright.... 06:08  |  Silvienne 03/03/08
      28.   ACT freely without $2.4 B in US tax money 06:11  |  Michael 03/03/08
      29.   #13 Ben Jabo. Palestinians are the `new Jews.` 06:14  |  Maureen Ann 03/03/08
      30.   Bloodthirsty? Wait till Qassams start reaching Tel-Aviv 06:14  |  Boris 03/03/08
      31.   we as jews of the world request olmert to resign 06:23  |  reuven 03/03/08
      32.   ana bakrah Israel 06:49  |  artist 03/03/08
      33.   Israel is not the victim here 06:49  |  Mark Green 03/03/08
      34.   #1 Deborah 07:19  |  DAVID KAPLAN 03/03/08
      35.   Time to Finish off Hamas once and for all 07:23  |  Shepherd 03/03/08
      36.   #7, Yet Another Compelling Reason To Tear Up NAFTA 07:25  |  DAVID KAPLAN 03/03/08
      37.   no dictation 07:25  |  n 03/03/08
      38.   lakshmi 07:29  |  DAVID KAPLAN 03/03/08
      39.   David kaplan Abuse is not sign of intelligence 07:55  |  Truth 03/03/08
      40.   Abbas cannot be trusted. 08:23  |  Jean Van Daem 03/03/08
      41.   Palestinian Civilian Deaths 08:25  |  American Christian 03/03/08
      42.   Israel has a right to defend itself 08:27  |  Clickfool 03/03/08
      43.   Is OLMERT still talking.....? 08:46  |  Penny 03/03/08
      44.   THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST IS COMING TO HAND HAMAS..... 09:00  |  TRUTH SEEKER 03/03/08
      45.   #1 Lady you don`t know what you are talking about. 09:11  |  Miriam 03/03/08
      46.   Re No. 28 09:18  |  American lady 03/03/08
      47.   Israel has the right to self-defence: Article 51, UN Charter 09:22  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 03/03/08
      48.   REPLY TO #1 09:37  |  MJ 03/03/08
      49.   REPLY TO #1 09:40  |  MJ 03/03/08
      50.   Thank you, Dr. Rice 09:52  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 03/03/08
      51.   Sorry, but the term "Israeli self-defense" has become HOLLOW..... 10:25  |  Swiss (Dino) 03/03/08
      52.   Israel does not reserve the right to act freely in Gaza 10:41  |  Dutch 03/03/08
      53.   laksmi/wright 10:47  |  dannyAUSTRALIA 03/03/08
      54.   #24 Silvienne 11:03  |  Johnboy 03/03/08
      55.   Self Defense 11:36  |  Albert 03/03/08
      56.   Olmert? 11:40  |  Albert 03/03/08
      57.   #26 Oh Sil !!! 11:45  |  Albert 03/03/08
      58.   #39 Truth 12:04  |  Albert 03/03/08
      59.   The same Olmert JudenreinMaker? Not possible 12:16  |  Ignacio 03/03/08
      60.   To defend ? 12:28  |  Anne 03/03/08
      61.   22 Babies/Children killed...and 122 civilians, many women... 12:31  |  Parachutiste 03/03/08
      62.   #35 you fit to the state terror of Israel 12:35  |  Ben Sina 03/03/08
      63.   Olmert refuses to defend Israel again 12:36  |  Jonathan S 03/03/08
      64.   reply to Mark Green from London 12:46  |  Daniela 03/03/08
      65.   reply to Ann 12:57  |  Daniela 03/03/08
      66.   IS KILLING BABIES, CHILDREN, MEN AND WOMEN DEFENCE???? 12:59  |  Hay-Hat Minaeddila 03/03/08
      67.   #33 where was mark when history was being studied? 13:08  |  v hardman 03/03/08
      68.   #54 hay hat ask the allies of ww2 when 13:11  |  v hardman 03/03/08
      69.   NO PEACE TALKS WITH COWARD MUR