Israel’s strategy in response to Palestinian rocket salvos from the Gaza Strip is at a critical juncture, Ehud Olmert said.
“We are very close to a critical point regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip. The current situation cannot continue,” the Israeli prime minister told his Cabinet in broadcast remarks Sunday, referring to cross-border shelling by Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists that killed two this month.
Olmert did not elaborate, but his government is in the midst of Egyptian-mediated truce talks with Hamas. Israel also has hinted that it could order a massive military sweep of Gaza with the objective of crushing Palestinian rocket squads and even toppling the Hamas regime.
“The critical point regarding how matters will be conducted is very close,” Olmert said. “Of course, our mission is to see to it that the residents of the south live tranquil and secure lives without being under constant threat as they have for a very long period.”
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