'There is no intention of recapturing Gaza.' Peretz
Photo: Niv Calderon
Peretz: Don’t politicize Iran issue
Hinting to addition of Avigdor Lieberman to coalition as minister in charge of strategic planning, defense minister says, ‘Politicizing Iranian issue will hinder our treatment of the threat’; Livni: Israeli-Palestinian conflict ‘time bomb’
Defense Minister Amir Peretz warned Monday not to politicize the Iranian issue, hinting to the addition of Avigdor Lieberman to
the government as a minister in charge of strategic planning.
During a conference in Tel Aviv Peretz said, "Politicizing the Iranian issue will hinder our treatment of the threat.”
The defense minister added, “There is no intention of recapturing Gaza. I’m not going to send the IDF into an adventure just to satisfy public need. There is no intention of reentering the alleys of Gaza, or staying in them. I don’t think we should consider the possibility of a renewed occupation.”
Peretz said, “We must make every effort to achieve peace, and I want to say to the Palestinian people: We are not at war with you; the terror groups are using you.”
‘Ahmadinejad not insane’
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, said during the conference that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was a "time bomb.”
"Time is working against us; the stalemate is not a political option, and so is the policy of the current government," she said. “There is the Road Map and a peace process, but the international community is coming to terms with the fact that the situation in the PA has not changed.”
According to her, "there is a need to strengthen the moderates and strengthen (President Mahmoud) Abbas and his presidential status."
Turning his attention once again to the Iranian threat, Peretz said, “We cannot allow a situation whereby Israel is left to deal with Iran on its own. We must do everything so the international community reacts to the Iranian president’s harsh statements.”
“There are those who believe he (President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ) suffers from temporary insanity, but this is not the case. He is an extreme ideologist who means every word that comes out of his mouth,” he said.
“I hope that the international response to the North Korean threats will be a lot more substantial,” he said. “This is part of the message conveyed to Iran.”
