Europe's approach to Gaza hindering peace, Peres says

"Unfortunately the international community, and particularly Europe, is oblivious to the reality in Gaza, which is that Hamas is a terror group that is acting mercilessly and irrationally towards its own people," President Shimon Peres said Tuesday.

During a meeting with visiting European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering, Peres said "Europe and the international community, by expressing compassion for the situation in Gaza and compassion for Hamas' acts of terror, is not helping to improve the situation, but is deceiving the Palestinians – and this severely hinders peace and the bolstering of moderate elements in the region.

Hans-Gert Pöttering (L) and Shimon Peres (Photo: Yosef Avi Yair Angel)

Pöttering, for his part, spoke of Europe's concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and mentioned UN reports indicating a shortage of food and medical supplies in the coastal enclave. He said Europe was looking to help the civilian population in Gaza and promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Peres responded by saying that Israel "will continue fighting an all-out war against terror, but at the same time will not block the transfer of food and medicine to Gaza.

"I have been receiving regular updates from the security establishment according to which the flow of food and medical supplies to the Strip is continuing without disruption and that the only problem remains Hamas' hostile seizures of some of these shipments," the president stated. 

Later Tuesday, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni expressed her concerns over the rise in anti-Semitic incidents noted in Europe and urged Pöttering to have the European Parliament censure them.

"We cannot allow this ugly phenomenon to raise its head. European leaders must voice their objections to it and denounce it publicly," she told the European Parliament president during their meeting in Jerusalem.