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Israel's PM Ehud Olmert speaks with a group of parliament members during a session at the Knesset. (AP)
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| By Associated Press July 4, 2006 |
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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday ruled out negotiations with the captors of an Israeli soldier and said the army would strike everyone responsible for the abduction, implying that Israel is prepared to expand its battle against the militants beyond the borders of the Gaza Strip.
Olmert said he had ordered the army to push forward with efforts "to strike terrorists and those who sent them and those who sponsor them."
Since the soldier was abducted by Hamas' military wing on June 25, Israel has made it clear that it holds Syria and Hamas' Syrian-based leader, Khaled Mashaal, responsible for the soldier's safety. Last week, Israeli warplanes buzzed the summer residence of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Israeli officials have implied that Mashaal is a target for assassination.
Olmert spoke hours after Israel ignored an ultimatum issued by Cpl. Gilad Shalit's captors for Israel to begin releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
"We will operate with all our might, but we won't give in to blackmail," Olmert told a business conference in the southern town of Sderot. "We won't negotiate with terror elements and we won't let anyone believe that kidnapping is a tool to bring Israel to its knees."
"We will strike all terror elements and all those who strike the state of Israel will not be immune," he added.
The soldiers' captors have demanded that Israel release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners -- a condition Israel rules out. Egypt has been trying to mediate a solution.
Olmert urged the public to be patient. "We need to know how to purse our lips and how to deal a winning strike," he said. "We will do both of these, we will prevail and we will bring Gilad Shalit back to his parents, his family, to those who love him."
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