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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Olmert lashes out at E.U Leaders, says Israeli operations will continue indefinately |
| 2006-07-10 |
| ISRAEL'S Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said operations in Gaza to press militants to free an abducted soldier and end rocket fire will go on indefinitely. Mr Olmert, speaking to the foreign media, also reiterated he would not negotiate with the governing Hamas movement for the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit, taken to Gaza in a cross-border raid on June 25. Militant groups that kidnapped the 19-year-old tank gunner have demanded Israel release more than a thousand Palestinian prisoners. "I will not release prisoners for the trade of Corporal Gilad Shalit to Hamas," Mr Olmert said. Lashing out at the European Union, which has been outspoken in its criticism of Israel's ground and air assaults, the Prime Minister said the EU should have focused instead on daily rocket fire by militants in Gaza against the Jewish state. "When was the last time that the European Union condemned this shooting and suggested effective measures to stop it?" Mr Olmert said. "At some point, Israel had no point but to take some measures in order to stop this thing." Mr Olmert said Israel had "no particular desire to topple" the Hamas-led Palestinian government despite the arrest by the Israeli military of dozens of Hamas officials and its Gaza raids. The European Union has accused Israel of a disproportionate use of force against Palestinians in Gaza and of making a humanitarian crisis there worse. Some 50 Palestinians, among them about 20 civilians, have been killed since the Israeli offensive began, Gaza residents said. in the latest violence, Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip killed one militant and wounded five others. "We haven't set a particular timetable for this operation (in Gaza). It will continue in places, in times, in different measures that will suit the purposes that were outlined," Mr Olmert said, repeating remarks he made on Sunday to his cabinet. Israel Radio said militants in Gaza fired three rockets at southern Israel early on Monday, causing no casualties. The Israeli offensive has continued despite expressions of concern from the European Union and United Nations at the worst fighting between Israelis and Palestinians since 2004 and a potential humanitarian crisis. Israel's main ally, the United States, has been less critical. "Let's remember who started this," US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns told CNN. "It was the outrageous actions of Hamas in violating Israel's sovereignty, in taking the soldier hostage." Early on Monday, the Israeli army said an aircraft destroyed a weapons depot belonging to the Islamic Jihad faction. Like Hamas, the group is committed to destroying Israel. Mr Olmert said he was still committed to his plan to remove isolated Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank while strengthening large blocs, a proposal Palestinians have condemned as effective annexation of land they want for a state. The proposal has been largely sidelined by the events in Gaza. |
| Posted by:Oztralian |
| #8 Correction, john... New Roadkill. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2006-07-10 23:27 |
| #7 New roadmap. |
| Posted by: john 2006-07-10 20:52 |
| #6 Indefinately, schmindefinately. Olmert is playing the ol' recycled stratagem. Operation should go on as long as any smidget of threat is eliminated. As simple as that. Annexing a piece of territory for any infraction by Paleos, as suggested in another post, would be definitely the right way to proceed. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2006-07-10 15:05 |
| #5 Just curious, but is "indefinately" the same thing as indefinitely? Or is the first, one of those peculiar Oztralian spellings? -M |
| Posted by: Manolo 2006-07-10 11:13 |
| #4 Israel's main ally, the United States, has been less critical. "Let's remember who started this," US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns told CNN. Sheesh. CNN just never, ever gives up, do they? How about, "The US reminded the world that the Paleo terrorist government Hamas vowed to wipe Israel off the map and is attempting to do so with little to no success" |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-07-10 09:50 |
| #3 Olmert needs a good lashing. This is dumb. Half of war is inspiration. What is inspiring about him or his strategy? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-07-10 08:22 |
| #2 EU leaders need a good lashing |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-07-10 07:03 |
| #1 The Paleos and EU should be happy the solution to this problem s not in my hands. There simply would be no Palestinians left in Gaza or the West Bank. They would be removed forever. Alive or dead the choice would be theirs but they would be out. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2006-07-10 06:06 |