Officials of the Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected a five-point peace
initiative proposed by France and Spain to revive the peace process and
renew negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, said that Israel will continue
to fight Palestinain armed groups.
Foreign ministry officials claimed in their response that the initiative is not supported by the International Community and that “Israel prefers direct dialogue with the Palestinians rather than with mediation that would only complicate matters”, according to the officials,
The statements of Livni came during the ceremony of opening of a branch for Kadima party in Rishon Lezion.
“Reality is more complex that slogans”, she said, “Israel will fight with full determination”.
Livni also said that Israel wants to send a message to “moderate elements in the Palestinian Authority that they should take responsibility for the events in the territories and what is happening there”.
She also said that “Israel is defending itself” and will not accept that its attacks are “compared to terror acts carried by Palestinian armed groups”.
Israeli Vice premier Shimon Peres held the Palestinians and Syria responsible for the failure in achieving peace in the region.
Palestinian resistance factions continued the firing of homemade shells into Israeli areas adjacent to the Gaza Strip in response to the continuous military offensive in the Gaza Strip and the large number of deaths and injuries among the civilians, including children.
Since the beginning of November, the Israeli army killed at nearly 100 Palestinians residents in the Gaza Strip, one-third of them are children and women.
On Wednesday, November 8, eighteen residents, including several children, were killed after the Israeli army shelled a residential area in Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
