Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday ruled out cease-fire talks with Hamas, calling Israel's battle against the rulers of the Gaza Strip a "true war." "Operations against terrorists will continue as they have been conducted for many months," Olmert said, according to the AP. "There is no other way to describe what is happening in the Gaza Strip except as a true war between the Israeli army and terror groups."
"This war will continue," he said. According to Olmert, there can be no cease-fire until Hamas accepts three conditions set by the "Quartet" of international peace makers - renouncing violence, recognizing Israel's right to exist and accepting past peace agreements between Israel and the Palestinians. "Whoever accepts the Quartet principles will, in principle, be a partner for negotiations," Olmert said. "Whoever isn't willing to do so, to our regret, cannot be a partner for dialogue with us. This policy will not change."
Meanwhile, Israel plans to enlarge two settlements in occupied Palestinian lands next year, a peace group said on Sunday. The move was slammed by the Palestinians, who warned it could hamper the peace talks revived at a November US conference.
In its 2008 budget, Israel has set aside more than 25 million dollars to build new housing units in the Maale Adumim settlement in the occupied West Bank and in the Har Homa (Jebel Abu Ghneim) settlement in annexed east Jerusalem, the anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now told AFP. "We have discovered that the 2008 state budget includes 48 million shekels for the construction of 250 homes in the Maale Adumim settlement and 50 million more to build 500 homes in Har Homa," said Peace Now head Yariv Oppenheimer.
A spokesman for Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas slammed the new plans.
"Israel is still putting problems in the road of real negotiations," Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP. "Israel doesn't want a permanent and just peace in the region. "We call on the international community and the American administration to come out against the Israeli position and we ask the Israeli government to stop these steps very soon if they want to continue the negotiatons between us."
