(Communicated by the Foreign Minister's Bureau)
Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni met today (Tuesday, January 13, 2009) with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos. Before the meeting, FM Livni stated: "With this operation, Israel is clarifying that in the same manner it holds a dialogue with moderates, it uses force against extremists. Israel has made it clear that it will not tolerate a situation of attacks against us, and I know that the world's leadership understands this. This time I know there is a new and more significant understanding, that in addition to the need to stop the rocket fire, the world understands that an effective deterrent to the smuggling operations that arm the Hamas must be put in place. That is what we will discuss at the meeting."
FM Moratinos said: "The international community does indeed understand the situation, I arrived here after a visit to Egypt and discussions with counterparts around the world, and I feel that people comprehend the situation. We must resolve the situation in a manner that will not permit a status-quo of missile firing and military operations, but rather permit a new situation of long-tern cease-fire that will provide the response to the needs you mentioned previously."