Despite his failure to take the Palestinian situation under control, Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas should be strengthened anyhow, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Friday.

During an interview with Xinhua in Jerusalem, Olmert stressed that the escalated violence within the Palestinian territories between Abbas' Fatah movement and the militant Islamic group Hamas has necessitate measures to "fight against the radical forces."

"First of all, he was a partner last year, and is a partner this year," Olmert said in a reference to Abbas. He emphasized that Israel and other countries should "try to help those amongst the Palestinians who are genuinely interested in peace and ready to fight for peace, and help them fight against the radical forces."

However, Olmert said that Abbas is not doing enough in order to curb the radical forces.

"We have to encourage him and to try and bring necessary support to make it easier for him to cope with the radical forces. We know radical forces are not easy to deal with. We know Hezbollah, Hamas, Al-Qaeda, Islamic Jihad, of course the Iranians stand behind all these organizations and support them, give them money, weapons, and ammunitions. That make it difficult battling against Hamas."

Olmert also responded Abbas' condemnation of an Israeli military operation in Ramallah on Thursday. "What happened yesterday was a tragic event, because we were after terrorists who killed Israeli citizens. Sometimes in those clashes, it gets out of control, people are shooting at us, and we have to protect ourselves," he said.

Israeli troops stormed Ramallah on Thursday afternoon in a bid to arrest the alleged "wanted men," setting off protests and clashes in the center of the town, during which at least six Palestinians were killed and some 30 others wounded. Following the Israeli raid, Abbas condemned the military operation, saying that it "proved that the Israeli calls for peace and security are fake."

Source: Xinhua