Writethru: Israeli PM vows to press ahead Gaza operation

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed on Monday to press ahead an ongoing massive military offensive in the Gaza Strip to halt Palestinian rocket attacks while defending his plan to withdraw from more settlements in the West Bank.

Speaking to foreign media at a news conference, Olmert reiterated that there would be no timetable for the Israeli offensive in Gaza, saying that Israel had the right to ensure the security of its citizens.

He slammed the Palestinian militant rocket attacks as "aiming to kill innocent Israelis", adding that Israel had no choice but to take some measures to defend itself.

The prime minister also rejected criticism by the European Union over the Israeli military moves in Gaza, rebuking the pan- Europe bloc for not condemning the Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel.

"When was the last time that the European Union condemned this shooting and suggested effective measures to stop it?" Olmert said. "At some point, Israel had no choice but to take some measures in order to stop this thing."

Olmert said that there would be no Israeli military action in Gaza if Palestinian militants halted rocket firing and attacks against innocent Israeli civilians.

Israel says that the massive Gaza operation, launched on June 28, is aimed to free an Israeli soldier kidnapped by Palestinian militants during a cross-border raid on an Israeli army post on June 25 and prevent Palestinian militants from firing rockets.

It is the first such large-scale push by Israeli troops into Gaza since Israel completed withdrawing soldiers and settlers from it last September after 38 years of occupation.

Meanwhile, Olmert, who is a staunch supporter of the Gaza pullout, defended his realignment plan, under which Israel will quit isolated settlements in the West Bank and consolidate bigger ones.

He said that the plan was "the only solution" to ending the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflicts, which he said would help the Palestinians build an independent state and help Israel get necessary protection to ensure safety.

He also said that the plan would be carried out in a "friendly" way.

The Israeli prime minister pledged commitment once again to the two-state solution backed by the international society, which envisions an independent Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel.

Olmert has made the realignment plan a priority for his government, vowing to draw the final borders with the Palestinians by 2010, in a unilateral way in case of the absence of peace talks with the Palestinians.

Source: Xinhua