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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (Nir Kafri)
Last update - 02:56 11/04/2008
PM: Israeli response to Negev attack will weaken Hamas
By The Associated Press
Tags: Israel, Ehud Olmert 

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday blamed Hamas for the deadly cross-border terror attack which killed two Israeli civilians a day earlier at a fuel depot near the Gaza border, and vowed that the Israeli response to the attack would considerably weaken the Islamist group.

"Hamas is responsible for what is happening in the south," Olmert told lawmakers from his centrist Kadima party. "I promise you that the response to Hamas will be one such that it will not be able to continue to operate as it does today."

Olmert also told party members that Israel would simultaneously keep up "serious" negotiations for a peace agreement with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
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"Alongside our war against terror and Hamas, we will continue to hold serious and responsible negotiations that can lead us to agreements with moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas," he said.

Olmert said it would be possible to reach "understandings" with the Palestinians this year that would lead to a future Palestinian state, but added, "I don't see any chance that we can implement an agreement in the coming period."

Israel on Wednesday cut off the only source of fuel to Gaza's 1.4 million residents, after militants from Gaza infiltrated Israel and killed two civilians at a fuel depot near the border.

Senior Israeli security sources said Wednesday that Israel does not intend to change its policy at Gaza Strip border crossings following Wednesday's terror attack at the fuel depot at Nahal Oz.

The activity at the fuel terminal was halted after the attack, but the sources said Israel had not decided to stop fuel shipments to Gaza completely and would probably resume the supply in a few days.

"We have an obligation to prevent a humanitarian disaster in Gaza," Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai told Army Radio on Thursday.

Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack, along with a group linked to the Al-Aqsa Brigades. A spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees said that members of three groups, not including Hamas, infiltrated the crossing.

Still, Israel remains convinced that Hamas was behind the planning of the attack.

Israel said Wednesday that it plans to launch a diplomatic offensive with the United Nations and international aid organizations to emphasize Hamas' responsibility for the attack and the consequent humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Thursday that the attack on the fuel depot was "one of the many choices Hamas has. This was the first option, and the beginning of the eruption against the blockade," he said.

On Thursday afternoon, hundreds of demonstrators began flocking to main
intersections of Gaza City, the coastal strip's largest town, to protest
Israel's blockade and economic sanctions.

"Rescue Gaza, lift the siege imposed on Gaza," read signs raised at one
junction.

Abu Ahmed of Islamic Jihad said the attack deliberately targeted the fuel
depot on which Gazans depend.

"This fuel [from Israel] is dipped in humiliation," he said, "because people wait for it for hours. If their fuel means humiliation for us, we don't want it."

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      1.   What an idiot 21:32  |  IW 10/04/08
      2.   Olmert is all talk.IDF was in Gaza Olmert, Barak Pulled Them Out 21:42  |  Kipperraes 10/04/08
      3.   Has Ehud "Big Talk" Olmert Made Good On Any Promise ? 22:04  |  Tod Zuckerman 10/04/08
      4.   Has Ehud "Big Talk" Olmert Made Good On Any Promise ? 22:04  |  Tod Zuckerman 10/04/08
      5.   PM response to Negev attack 22:05  |  David Gershon 10/04/08
      6.   Give them all the oil that they need! 22:07  |  Murray of Montreal 10/04/08
      7.   Come on already.. Abbas & Hamas are working together... Good cop, 22:07  |  mike 10/04/08
      8.   The danger facing Mubarak (and Israel) 22:11  |  Clickfool 10/04/08
      9.   israeli response......ha..ha..ha 22:13  |  ljf-canada 10/04/08
      10.   olmert,you are the laughing stock of the whole world 22:18  |  chaim 10/04/08
      11.   words, words, words 22:30  |  ANUAR AL SADAT 10/04/08
      12.   More of Olmerts Appalling Duplicty 22:44  |  Yaakov Sullivan 10/04/08
      13.   Yep, they are shaking in their boots 22:45  |  Man deVoshkes 10/04/08
      14.   Yep, they are shaking in their boots 22:45  |  Man deVoshkes 10/04/08
      15.   Olmert Blah Blah Talk Talk 22:45  |  Mike 10/04/08
      16.   Finally, the hangover is gone, a quick click before the next 22:48  |  Pervert to Clickfool 10/04/08
      17.   Remember Olmerts Promise During the 2nd Lebanonwar 22:48  |  David 10/04/08
      18.   Finally, the hangover is gone, a quick click before the next 22:48  |  Pervert to Clickfool 10/04/08
      19.   Huff & Puff For Local Consumption... 23:02  |  Joe 10/04/08
      20.   Abbas is the Hitler of our time! 23:04  |  Abe 10/04/08
      21.   clickfool: gazan`s arent being starved. 23:09  |  arthur 10/04/08
      22.   BIG WORDS LITTLE ACTION 23:11  |  Ilya 10/04/08
      23.   Exactly, #1 23:11  |  Paul 10/04/08
      24.   Abbas boys murdered the Israelis+why was warning not used? 23:17  |  sam 10/04/08
      25.   danger for mubarak comes from islamics indeed. 23:18  |  arthur 10/04/08
      26.   Let the fireworks begin 23:22  |  Harold 10/04/08
      27.   smirk!! olmert has a history of losing everything 23:28  |  may he continue 10/04/08
      28.   The danger facing the palestinians 23:33  |  Edifice 10/04/08
      29.   Learn fron Nasarallah 23:34  |  Andrew 10/04/08
      30.   Clickfool- Huge support for the Palestinians 23:36  |  Avrum 10/04/08
      31.   Clickfool- Huge support for the Palestinians 23:36  |  Avrum 10/04/08
      32.   diplomatic offensive?? 23:45  |  Akiva P 10/04/08
      33.   sounds familiar...doesn`t it... 23:46  |  superjew 10/04/08
      34.   Enough huff..Time to go on the offensive. 00:00  |  Stephen. 11/04/08
      35.   oh ya 00:01  |  david 11/04/08
      36.   Hamas know to find weapons everywhere, but... 00:03  |  civilized Kid 11/04/08
      37.   have the PA drive the fuel into GAZA 00:09  |  r 11/04/08
      38.   BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, he won`t do a thing 00:11  |  David 11/04/08
      39.   Olmert & more empty pronouncements... 00:14  |  bat yam 11/04/08
      40.   Clickfool, the Pub,hangover and buddy, PC. 00:22  |  Stephen. 11/04/08
      41.   Trust Grandma Olmert on this one: Big shots are on the way... 00:23  |  Catholic Israeli 11/04/08
      42.   # 3 Clickfool "Every Arab rather live in humiliation just so to 00:50  |  Joseph.E 11/04/08
      43.   No fuel unless.... 00:53  |  R 11/04/08
      44.   "once and for all", is NOT a Jewish response,... 01:15  |  Akiva P 11/04/08
      45.   blah blah blah... 01:17  |  greg 11/04/08
      46.   Another empty promise for umpteenth time 01:18  |  Dennie 11/04/08
      47.   #7 Joe 01:25  |  Corine 11/04/08
      48.   My two cents 01:27  |  Harold 11/04/08
      49.   #7 Joe 01:27  |  Corrine 11/04/08
      50.   The AP Report Makes the Israelis Pagan Liberals & Dhimmi Lefties 01:29  |  Joseph.E 11/04/08
      51.   Way to go - Olmert will deliver this time! 01:40  |  Johnny 11/04/08
      52.   #2Clickfool 01:43  |  Chaim Gorenstein 11/04/08
      53.   The real cause of Palestinian `humiliation` 01:55  |  Nechama 11/04/08
      54.   it`s a madhouse! 01:57  |  Mark 11/04/08
      55.   Olmert talks tough 02:07  |  Rabbi Yakov Lazaros 11/04/08
      56.   Clickfool 02:09  |  Steve Kerzer 11/04/08
      57.   HAMAS SENTENCE 02:10  |  JUDGE JURY 11/04/08
      58.   Same Old, Same Old 02:27  |  Ron 11/04/08
      59.   response 02:34  |  rico 11/04/08
      60.   Clickfool never thought the day would come but. I agree with you 03:41  |  Jabadini 11/04/08
      61.   OK, let`s go! but I know nothing will come of it, only hot air 03:54  |  Romano 11/04/08
      62.   Current proposals like the Road Map are totally unworkable. 08:38  |  Jean Van Daem 11/04/08
      63.   For Pervert # 16 09:31  |  Clickfool 11/04/08
      64.   Question for "Steve Kerzer" # 56 09:42  |  Clickfool 11/04/08
      65.   Israeli response to Negev attack will weaken Hamas 09:52  |  martin list, m.d. 11/04/08
      66.   It`s on 10:01  |  Archie Bunker 11/04/08
      67.   DON`T MAKE PROMISE YOU CAN`T KEEP 10:08  |  indrajaya 11/04/08
      68.   Hamas becomes stronger... 07:50  |  Silvienne 12/04/08
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