Netanyahu: Likud will back Gaza op

Opposition leader visits Sderot, blames situation in south on government's lack of action, says Kadima responsible for residents' suffering. His party, he pledges, will support decision to strike in Strip
Shmulik Hadad

Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu and several other party members toured Sderot on Sunday. The Color Red alert sounded during the visit, while Netanyahu and his convoy were inside a building.

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"We visited a woman who miraculously survived a Qassam hitting her house, but the residents of Sderot cannot continue to rely on miracles," he said.

The area's residents, he added, were "paying a hefty price for the mistakes made by (Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi) Livni and her ministers. They shrug it off but they are responsible for the unilateral withdrawal that resulted in the increasing terror form Gaza."

Time to act. Netanyahu in Sderot (Photo: Amir Cohen)

"For three years, Kadima's ministers have been burying their heads in the sand. It's time to change that," he continued. "In the long run, we have no choice but to topple Hamas' rule. Right now we have to go from passive response to active assault. We have a variety of options before we take the Strip."

The Likud, he concluded, will back any government decision to strike in Gaza.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni reiterated a similar sentiment during a Kadima faction meeting Sunday afternoon.

"The rocket fire on Israeli cities cannot be ignored," she said. "Israel must topple the Hamas' regime in Gaza, and the government I will lead will do just that.

"Israel has to respond to rocket fire, regain deterrence and make the fire stop. This is has to be done and this is what I will do."