Monday, March 03, 2008

UN Chief Condemns Israel's 'Excessive Force,' Olmert Lashes Back

Hillel Fendel

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, speaking before Sunday morning's weekly Cabinet meeting, staunchly defended Israel's anti-rocket offensive in Gaza, and delivered a retort to various international elements that offered criticism."I do not recall that I heard from those who now criticize us," Olmert said, "when Israeli citizens in southern Israel were attacked."

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon said over the weekend that Israel was using "excessive force" in its battle against the Kassam and Katyusha rocket launchers and terrorist infrastructure.

The UN's Security Council itself was slightly more balanced, releasing the following statement after a weekend session on the fighting in Gaza: "The Security Council is concerned over the loss of life, and calls upon both sides to respect international law and cease violent acts."

"It must be remembered," Olmert said in responding to the criticism, "that the State of Israel is simply protecting its residents in the south. No one has the moral right to preach to Israel. Israel must take the elementary steps of protecting its citizens against rockets."

"We will take action against the terrorist organizations at the time and to the degree that we will decide," Olmert said. "We will act against those who dispatch the terrorists and against those who harm us. No one will be immune."

The prime minister noted that the current round of violence began on Thursday, when Israel successfully bombed a van holding five terrorists "on their way to perpetrate a major terrorist attack. Fortunately, this attack was thwarted."

Speaking later with fellow Kadima party members, Olmert made sure to emphasize other aspects: "We will not be dragged along by hot-heads, and I will not allow an imbalanced attack that will look good in the short range, but will cause damage to the State of Israel in the long range. I say this to those who propose that we destroy neighborhoods with the people in them."

Knesset Members of the Likud visited Ashkelon on Sunday morning and recalled that Yitzchak Rabin had said, "We know all the scare-stories of the Likud. They promised [when the first Oslo agreement was signed, in 1993] that there would be Katyushas from Gaza. It's been a year already that Gaza is mostly under PA control, and there haven't been any Katyushas, and there won't be any... The Likud is simply scared to death of peace - they are 'peace scaredy-cats' - and for this reason is reacting in a truly childish manner."

With tongue in cheek, Likud MK Michael Eitan said of the party's visit to Ashkelon, "This is a meeting of the 'peace scaredy-cats' with the 'sacrifices of peace' [another phrase attributed to Rabin, referring to the price in blood Israel will be expected to pay for peace - ed.]."

"Yes, today we are very afraid," Eitan said, "just as we were then, of the 'peace' of the Olmert government. Today, the residents of Sderot and Ashkelon are sacrifices of the Oslo process. Tomorrow, the residents of Gush Dan [the greater Tel Aviv area] will pay the price of the concession process that Olmert is leading."

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