Olmert says doing everything to protect Israel from its enemies
'We must deal with enemies from the north and the south that are looking to wipe us off the map,' prime minister tells JNF conference in Jerusalem. Barak: Israel strives for peace, but IDF prepared to face any challenge
“I am doing everything so this country will be able to defend itself against its enemies and so that our children and grandchildren won’t live their lives filled with the suffering prevalent here,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday evening during a Jewish National Fund (JNF) conference held at Jerusalem's Israel Museum.
Addressing the incessant Qassam rocket fire emanating from Gaza and the internal crisis in Lebanon, Olmert said, "We must deal with enemies from the north and the south that are looking to wipe us off the map, but we will always be prepared. You can count on it.
"We want nothing more than to obtain peace with our enemies, and we are willing to do everything on order to achieve this goal and work toward making (Israel) more secure for each and every one of us. We will not miss an opportunity to move in this direction," he said.
The prime minister also spoke of former prime minister David Ben-Gurion's vision to settle the Negev and pledged to allocate NIS 17 billion (about $5 billion) toward the region's development.
Jimmy Kdoshim's funeral (Photo: AP)
Earlier on Sunday Eshkol Regional Council head Haim Yalin said "Israel is shutting its mouth and dealing with internal investigations instead of worrying about its citizens’ security”. According to him, the government is using the inhabitants of the Israeli communities surrounding the Gaza Strip as 'pawns'.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Ehud Barak told a ceremony held at Yad Vashem to mark the defeat of the Nazis "we are currently following the events in Gaza with one eye and the developments in Lebanon and Syria with the other. And, of course, both eyes are following Iran.
"We strive for peace, but everyone must know this: The IDF and the security establishment are prepared for any challenge or test that may be forced upon them," he added.
Three Qassam rockets were fired toward south Israel on Sunday. One rocket landed near a school bus at the entrance to Sderot and shattered its windows. Two children suffered shock.
Over the weekend more than 20 Qassams were fired toward Israeli communities surrounding the Gaza Strip.
On Friday 48-year-old Jimmy Kdoshim was killed by a mortar shell fired from as he was working in his garden in Kibbutz Kfar Aza.
