[Ha'aretz] Barak Ravid - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Thursday that Israel is not seeking an extended military campaign in Gaza. "We have no interest in waging a prolonged war," he said. "What we want is that our children will grow up in security and that they will not need to run away from the shrieking whistles of rockets." "We want quiet and that the way of life in the south will change so that the children will not live in fear." "We did not declare war against the residents of Gaza, but against Hamas we will act with an iron fist," Olmert added. "Hamas is making things difficult for us, but more so for its people." Olmert is interested in the establishment of an international supervision and enforcement mechanism for any cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, and has emphasized this in talks with U.S. Secretary of State Rice and other world leaders. "Israel cannot agree that the only party responsible for implementing and regulating the cease-fire be Hamas," a senior Israeli diplomatic source said on Wednesday.
2009-01-02 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive