Foreign Minister Livni
Photo: Shahar Azran
Israel's negotiations with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
will not change the situation in Gaza, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Wednesday, at a Jerusalem conference organized by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
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"The anti-terror activity in Gaza does not hinder the peace process, but rather helps it along," she said, adding that Israel will have no problem facing the international community's judgment, since "the limitations we've placed on ourselves are based on our moral values."
"There is a huge and unbearable gap between who we are and what our values are, and our image in the world," Livni explained.
According to the foreign minister, "Those who believe that if we manage to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict this will help appease Iran are wrong. The leaders of the pragmatic Arab countries realize themselves that Iran is a problem."
Referring to Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip, Livni stated: "Hamas' success is not only ours and Abbas' problem. It sends a message to all the extremists in our neighboring states that radical ideologies can be enforced via democratic means."
The foreign minister also said that she expected the Palestinian representatives to continue negotiating with Israel despite the operations in Gaza.