Prime Minister Ehud Olmert slammed
Defense Minister Ehud Barak Sunday,
saying "he is the only one preventing a Gaza operation. If he were to support such an incursion – we would go for it."
Olmert's remark came in view of a statement made by Barak on Friday, saying it was the pending decision on the Kadima primaries that is preventing a decision on a military operation in the Strip.
| Blame |
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| Barak: Lull postponed because of Kadima primaries / Attila Somfalvi |
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Labor chief slams government for stalling on ceasefire; says decision on Kadima primaries hindering end of rocket fire |
| Full story |
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Barak's aides said in response that the defense minister is doing all he can to push for a ceasefire in order to secure Gilad Shalit's safe
return.
"We cannot repeat the mistake made with Ron Arad,
we have to exhaust all the options possible in order to bring Gilad home… without trying to reach a ceasefire we won't be able to free him," said a source close to Barak.
"The defense minister has said numerous times that a military operation is inevitable, but the timing has to be carefully set, in accordance with the opportunities in the field."
Earlier Sunday, during a Kadima faction
meeting in the Knesset, Olmert's ministers demanded he make a decision about a military operation in the Strip: This kind of a decision should have been made during the cabinet meeting, said the faction; it didn't go through because the defense minister blocked it.
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