Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Sunday night criticized London Mayor Ken Livingstone for " ignorance" in having declared that members of the Likud and Hamas were "two sides of the same coin," Israel Radio reported Monday.

"The comparison drawn by the mayor of London was grave and inappropriate," Sharon said. "It indicates ignorance and a basic misunderstanding of reality," he said.

Sharon stressed that Hamas is a murderous terrorist organization, which has murdered and wounded thousands of Israelis.

Livingstone enraged Israelis last week by defending the use of suicide bombers in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and charging that Israel had indiscriminately slaughtered Palestinians in acts that "border on crimes against humanity."

Speaking to Sky News in an interview, Livingstone also said that he does not distinguish between members of Likud and Hamas, branding them "two sides of the same coin."

Source: Xinhua