 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||
|
PERES : PARTIAL CEASE-FIRE PREFERABLE TO FULL-SCALE INTIFADA
"In recent months a terrorist coalition has been formed, which includes Palestinians, Lebanese Shi'ites as well as Bin Laden's organization, operating against Israeli, American and Ethiopian targets. Bin Laden is trying to perpetrate attacks inside Israel, through agents in Israel and abroad". These comments were made by Minister of Defense Binyamin Ben Eliezer in his address to the 1,000 Jewish leaders from all over the world who convened at this week's Jewish Agency Assembly in Jerusalem. Ben Eliezer added that the real enemy is Islamic Fundamentalism: "Iran is currently building a long-range missile capable of attacking targets in Israel and Europe, and in the future Iran, Iraq and Libya are planning to obtain unconventional weapons. This is a threat not only to Israel, but to the entire free world", he said. The Defense Minister mentioned that over the last months, three Israelis have been killed in attacks from south Lebanon, and another four have been abducted by the Hizbollah. "By withdrawing its forces from south Lebanon, Israel declared that it accepts UN Resolution 425", he said, "And now Syria must also withdraw its forces from Lebanon. They have no reason to be there. Israel respects the Hariri government in Lebanon and its efforts to build this country afresh. I have no intention of ordering an attack on Lebanese infrastructure". In his address to the Assembly, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres emphasized the need for solidarity by world Jewry. He expressed his concern about the call made by Iran, Iraq and Lebanon to destroy Israel, and by the anti-Israel lobby operating against Israel in the UN. "The peace process with the Palestinians will not resolve the conflict with Iran and Iraq, but as long as it continues, our struggle will be more difficult. The peace process requires concessions. We must concentrate the West Bank settlements in blocs and steer clear of scattering them over a wide area. According to the polls, most Israelis want a right-wing government with left-wing policies, and this is what they got at the last elections", he said. As for the cease-fire, Peres said that "a partial cease-fire is better than a full-scale Intifada". |
