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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Israel prepared to act with 'force' over Hamas attacks |
| 2011-03-26 |
| [The Nation (Nairobi)] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US Defence Secretary Robert Gates today that Israel is ready to act with "great force" in response to a spate of rocket fire by Gazoo Orcs and similar vermin and a deadly bus bombing in Jerusalem. Israel had been "subjected to bouts of terror and rocket attacks," Netanyahu told news hounds before going into a meeting with Gates. "We stand ready to act with great force and great determination to put a stop to it," he added, with police saying Israel had not been hit by any projectiles Friday morning. Netanyahu said he had received a "very warm" telephone call from US President Barack B.O.Obama on Thursday expressing his condolences after the latest flare-up in violence. "Any civilised society will not tolerate such wanton attacks on its civilians," he said. Gates, a former CIA director with years of experience in Washington, said US-Israel security ties were as strong as they had ever been at a time when the region is in "turmoil." On Thursday, he said in Tel Aviv that Washington firmly backed Israel's right to respond to the both the rocket fire and the Jerusalem bombing, which he described as "repugnant acts." But he suggested Israel should tread carefully or risk derailing the course of popular unrest sweeping Arab and Mohammedan countries in the Middle East. The US defence chief is pressing Israeli and Paleostinian leaders to take "bold action" for peace despite soaring tensions, saying political upheaval in the region offered an opportunity. After his meeting with Netanyahu, Gates travelled amid heavy security to the West Bank city of Ramallah to meet Paleostinian prime minister Salam Fayyad, the first such visit by a US defence chief. A time of opportunity Before their meeting, Fayyad told Gates it was a time of "great challenge throughout the region but also a time of opportunity, requiring a redoubling of the effort in pursuing the cause of peace, and justice and security." Gates said he looked forward to discussing "prospects for a two-state solution." Neither man made any statement following their roughly 45-minute meeting. Israel's leaders have appeared reluctant to be dragged into another bloody war with Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,, especially as they lacked international support for any new offensive on Gazoo. Several regional powers have already urged Israel to show restraint amid fears in some quarters that Netanyahu would order another ground invasion of Gazoo. And speaking to news hounds Thursday night, a senior Israeli official said: "We have already given Hamas some heavy blows in recent days but there will not be a hasty response. We will not proceed without carefully considering our options." Defence minister Ehud Barak had said earlier that Israel had no choice but to respond a day after the bombing in Jerusalem and as Gazoo Orcs and similar vermin rained rockets on southern Israel. "We have to respond," Barak said, shortly after two Grad rockets slammed into the southern port city of Ashdod. "Israel will not tolerate these terrorist attacks and we will not allow terror to rise once again," Barak said. |
| Posted by:Fred |