Peres with EU leaders
Photo: Yosef Avi Yair Angel
Peres: Europe must open its eyes
'Not one of you would sit with your arms crossed in the face of missiles being fired at your country,' president tells EU ministers, foreign policy leaders. Shas' Yishai: European leaders serving as Hamas lobbyists
Israel's President Shimon Peres met with EU foreign policy leaders as well as the foreign ministers of France, Sweden, and the Czech Republic Tuesday, and said, "Europe must stop playing this double game with Israel."
Truce Offer
Olmert tells visiting European ministers 'look where Hamas is shooting. They are reaching Gedera. We have had enough of the gestures; we demand action that will bring security to the residents of Israel's south'
"Not one of you would sit with your arms crossed in the face of missiles being fired at your country," said Peres.
The European representatives leveled criticism at the "lack of proportion" in Israel's response in the Gaza Strip.
The president recounted an incident which according to him showcased Hamas' 'evilness': "Not long ago Hamas tried to detonate a ton of explosives under an Israeli community; they tried to transfer the explosives through underground tunnels from Gaza. Hamas has also attacked the border crossings and prevented the transfer of goods to their own people. Europe must open its eyes."
The president stressed that Israel "has no ambition to remain in Gaza but does aspire to fight an unrelenting war against terror. We must sever the ties between Iran and Gaza; we won’t tolerate the continued transfer of long-range projectiles from Iran to the Strip.
"Have you asked yourselves why children aren’t being killed here as much as they are in Gaza? Rockets have hit schools and kindergartens here too. The difference is that we protect our children and do not use them as human shields. Hamas is storing weapons in people's living rooms. The Palestinian children are being used to shield Hamas' missiles.
Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Eli Yishai (Shas) said earlier that "Europe's leaders have set out to promote a ceasefire before Israel completes its missions in Gaza, and in essence are serving as Hamas lobbyists".
