(Communicated by the Foreign Minister's Bureau)
Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni met in Paris with French President Sarkozy on Thursday, January 1. They discussed the security situation and events in southern Israel and Gaza, and the regional implications.
FM Livni said: "The war that Israel is waging against Hamas is one of the fronts of the war against extremist forces operating in the region. This war against extremists is necessary in order to advance the political goal of a two-state solution.
Hamas thought that Israel would agree to a reality in which its citizens are fired at on a daily basis, and today they understand that they were mistaken. Israel will continue its operation against Hamas, while maintaining the humanitarian level for the resident of the Gaza Strip. I know that the pictures emanating from Gaza do not make it easy for those who support this struggle, but we must understand and emphasize that it is these same terrorists who are today hiding in bunkers in Gaza who brought this suffering on the residents of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas is responsible for who is happening in Gaza, and Hamas is to blame for the situation of its residents.
The international community set the basic conditions for legitimization of Hamas, and no international initiative or organization should undermine these conditions or grant any legitimacy to Hams."