'Deals hurt Israel.' Livni
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Livni: Immediate action to weaken Hamas possible
FM says 'embarrassed' to call situation in south a lull, Israel can't accept Hamas' rule in Gaza
"I am embarrassed to refer to the situation in the south as a lull," Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Tuesday during a Tel Aviv University conference in memory of Haaretz journalist Zeev Schiff.
Hamas-Controlled Territory
Associated Press
Army says 45 trucks of food, medical supplies to pass through on Tuesday because of day-long lull in attacks emanating from Strip
"Israel will not be able to accept Hamas' rule in Gaza, and therefore, strategically-speaking we must focus on the developments there," she said.
According to the Kadima chairwoman, "the ceasefire agreement may serve Israel's interests at a certain point in time and in the short term, but it must be remembered that such deals hurt Israel and bolster Hamas.
"Therefore, when we do reach an agreement on a lull we must not accept any violations. We live in a region in which image is significant, and when we project weakness, it undermines Israel's deterrence. Even if responding to the rocket fire (from Gaza) won’t bring an end to the attacks, it will contribute to our deterrence," Livni said.
The FM said she was not ruling out taking "immediate action to weaken Hamas."
