Olmert: Going to war was the right decision

Prime minister tours north, visits IDF border outpost and meets bereaved families. 'I'm convinced as I was on July 12 last year that we took the right decision (by going to war) that this threat should once and for all be driven away from our border'

Reuters | Published: 07.12.07, 12:27

Going to war last summer was justified, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Thursday, during a visit to the north, where he met with families of soldiers who were killed during the Second Lebanon War.

"The war revealed many shortcomings and problems. The army, the government and the local authorities are making effort to overcome the difficulties and create a better reality," the prime minister said.

"Today, a year after the war, I'm convinced as I was on July 12 last year that we took the right decision, that this threat should once and for all be driven away from our border," Olmert added. "We are still far from achieving our goals we need to work very hard and we are working very hard."

The prime minister continued by saying that his visit to the region left him wit the impression that the situation there was better than prior to the war. "I met farmers in Metula who are now able to cultivate farther fields and feel more hopeful and at ease. I heard the UNIFIL commander saying that there hasn't been such calm in here for the last 40 years, and this is what I hear from the residents as well."

The prime minister visited the Narkis outpost located no the border, near the town of Metula, where he was briefed by IDF commanders on the situation in southern Lebanon. he later continued to the town of Kiryat Shmona to meet with bereaved families.

Kiryat Shmona Mayor Haim Barbibai said that if the town isn't strong, "Israel doesn’t have a right to exist… we are here because we have no other country. This is our answer to Hizbullah."

According to Barbibai, Israel's condition has only improved since the war. "The stock exchange is skyrocketing, unemployment is down, tourism is improving. I don't understand why this nation is complaining."