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Opposition Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu (AP file)
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| By Attila Somfalvi December 4, 2006 |
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Opposition Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday, following a short period of silence, that "the desire to restore calm in Sderot does not match the desire for a one-sided ceasefire."
The faction members called on the government to prevent Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh from returning to the Palestinian Authority territories, if he leaves to Damascus or Tehran as planned.
"It is completely obvious that Haniyeh's coordination talks in Damascus and Tehran will deal with the terror activity against Israel," the faction said in a statement.
Since the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was declared, Netanyahu refrained from publicly criticizing the government, a role which was taken by other right-wing politicians and spokespeople.
During a Likud faction meeting, the chairman criticized the ministers.
"Hamas continues to fire rockets, and if it doesn't stop there will be tragic outcomes which we have already witnessed," Netanyahu said.
He added that the ongoing flow of weapons into the Strip was "turning it into a second Lebanon."
The faction meeting was held this time in an especially cynical mood. Knesset Member Michael Eitan expressed his surprise over the jobs allocated to the Ministry of Strategic Affairs.
"Now we have 20 Liebermans," he said.
MKs Danny Naveh and Limor Livnat called on Olmert to resign.
Olmert: Truce will eventually halt rocket fire
Earlier Monday, at the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Olmert defended the ceasefire and answered his criticizers from the Right and from the defense establishment.
"The military operation did not stop the Qassams so far," he reminded everybody, and called on them to give a diplomatic move a chance.
At the Kadima faction meeting, Olmert estimated that the truce will eventually succeed in bringing a complete secession of rocket fire into Israel, saying that the government took into consideration the possibility that the firing will be renewed.
"If the terror activity doesn't stop in contravention of commitments given to us, we have the time, ability and might to weigh our response and decide how to act," he said.
Olmert also referred to the tense situation opposite Syria.
"Anyone is Syria who is concerned [about an Israeli offensive] can just calm down. Israel will not attack Syria, just as Israel did not attack Syria during the war in Lebanon," stated Olmert.
Vice Premier Shimon Peres said Israel should talk with moderates in the Palestinian Authority as if there was no Hamas, and fight Hamas as if there were no moderate elements in the Authority.
"There is no chance of Hamas changing its positions. It is part of a global organization," Peres said.
This article first appeared on Ynet.
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