Sneh: Spray flies, dry swamp

Deputy defense minister offers solution to Qassam rocket fire into Israel; Peres says government should fight terror like crime

Ahiya Raved|Published: 11.21.06 , 17:27

Once Gaza was a hornet nest, today it is a fly swamp: As Sderot and western Negev residents continue to suffer daily Qassam attacks, politicians have suggested solutions to deal with the problem. Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh said on Tuesday that Israel needs to, "spray the flies and dry up the swamp."

Sneh said Israel should hold talks not only with powerful elements in the Palestinian Authority but with any side interested in doing something.

He said terror elements should be driven out of Gaza. He added that his ministry is checking four anti-missile systems, two of which are made in Israel.

"Within weeks we will decide which system to choose. It is an expensive project and its efficiency is not absolute. There is no immediate and absolute solution to terror in Gaza, so long the basic situation has not changed," he said.

Vice Premier Shimon Peres spoke of the issue at the Galilee Convention, which was held in Carmiel. "The war on terror is like the war against crime. When you kill one terrorist, others surge in his place, in the same manner as when you kill a criminal, there will always be other who will take his place," Peres said.

Iran will come under pressure soon

He said Israel needs to fight those responsible for rocket fire at its cities. "We need to hit precisely those firing Qassams, even if there will always be those who will take their place. The other solution is technological which is being developed. I believe that within a year or two, the IDF will be equipped with tools like these. But we should never give up on peace," he said.

About the reduction of harm to residents under the threat of Qassam rockets he said: "First we need to worry about fortifications, as we did in Kiryat Shmona in the past."

He also blamed the dormant status of peace talks with the Palestinians on their internal divisions. "We signed four peace agreements. In two of those we succeeded, with Egypt and Jordan, and we failed in two, with Lebanon and the Palestinians. The reason for that is that the Lebanese and the Palestinians are split among themselves, but in the end, I believe will find a way for peace with them too," he said.

Peres spoke of the difficult atmosphere in Israel over Iran's nuclear program, which he said is creating "an atmosphere of despair."

"Iran is a poor and corrupt country, whose leadership is surviving because of the world's hesitant responses. This situation will not last long. Russia, which is hesitating in backing economic sanctions against Iran, will regain its composure when it will realize that Iranian nuclear weapons could reach Chechnya," he said.