PM Olmert: "We Will Strike a Painful Blow at All Those Who Fire at the
North."
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met today (Sunday), 28.5.06, with President Moshe
Katsav in order to update him on his recent trip to the US
(http://tinyurl.com/fsdyt ). The two men held a joint press conference
after their meeting; following are excerpts from Prime Minister Olmert's
remarks:
Regarding the firing along the northern border ( http://tinyurl.com/g5eyz &
http://tinyurl.com/znaap ), Prime Minister Olmert said: "At around 04:00
this morning, a barrage of Katyusha rockets was fired approximately eight
kilometers into Israel. This assault on Israeli communities was initiated
by terrorist elements in Lebanon. We carried out an aerial attack and we
will use all aerial and ground responsive measures at our disposal in order
to strike at the terrorist elements that tried to disrupt life in the north.
We were careful. Naturally, residents in the relevant areas were asked to
go into shelters. We do not want any of our civilians to be hurt; we also
do not want any innocent Lebanese civilians to be caught up in these
exchanges of fire but I can say here that we will - without any doubt -
strike a painful blow at all those who try to disrupt life in the north of
the country. Israel's response was an important warning to Palestinian
elements in Lebanon of what they may expect if such things recur. We hope
that the response will be properly understood and that there will be no
further attempts. In the meantime, I hear that the firing is continuing,
mainly in the western Galilee and I think that the elements that are taking
part in the firing have erred in their assessments. They will receive an
unequivocal and aggressive response, without any hesitation, if they do not
stop."
Regarding his upcoming meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Prime
Minister Olmert said: "I have said several times that I am in ongoing
telephone contact with Egyptian President Mubarak. We agreed that we would
meet upon my return from the US ( http://tinyurl.com/f2sho ) and I assume
that this meeting will be held next week and that it will be an excellent
opportunity for us to consider various issues of interest to both Egypt and
to us that affect bilateral relations as well as issues of regional
interest."
Regarding Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Abu Mazen's referendum
initiative, Prime Minister Olmert said: "In my speech to the US Congress
( http://tinyurl.com/zo7do ), I said that we needed a partner that not only
makes statements but that is also active on the ground. The question does
not have to do with Abu Mazen's remarks but whether or not the PA will be
capable of meeting the commitments that it has taken upon itself - to
dismantle the terrorist organizations, to halt terrorist activity, to
recognize Israel in order to achieve peace and security and to carry out its
obligations according to the agreements that have been signed. Abu Mazen's
statement does not uphold any plan and we cannot conduct affairs on the
basis of a chance speech. We want to strengthen Abu Mazen and will do our
utmost so that elements like him are strengthened vis-?-vis Hamas and
Islamic Jihad, but we cannot proceed until their policy matches their
statements."
Prime Minister Olmert also discussed the issue of the 'medicines basket';
see http://tinyurl.com/keows for details.
| 
