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- Written by Josh Hantman MOD
“Citizens of Israel, we are now 28 hours into Operation ‘Pillar of Defense’
The IDF has dealt a severe blow to Hamas and its terror infrastructure. In the last twenty four hours, over 250 rockets have been fired at the State of Israel, landing in the South and in the greater Tel Aviv area; ‘Iron Dome’ successfully intercepted 100 rockets.
The general rocket fire, and in particular, the rockets at the greater Tel Aviv area, reflect an escalation, and the other side will pay a heavy price for this escalation. I said at the beginning of the operation that there will be trying times, and it will not be an easy endeavor. Today we saw that price in Kiryat Malachi, and our hearts go out to all the families of the victims.
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- Written by GPO
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this afternoon (Thursday, 15 November 2012), issued the following statement to the foreign press:
"In recent days and weeks, Hamas and the other terrorist organizations in Gaza have made normal life impossible for over one million Israelis
No government would tolerate a situation where nearly a fifth of its people live under a constant barrage of rockets and missile fire, and Israel will not tolerate this situation. This is why my government has instructed the Israeli Defense Forces to conduct surgical strikes against the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza
And this is why Israel will continue to take whatever action is necessary to defend our people.
I want to remind you that seven years ago, Israel withdrew from every square inch of Gaza. Now Hamas, they took over the areas we vacated. What did it do? Rather than build a better future for the residents of Gaza, the Hamas leadership, backed by Iran, turned Gaza into a terrorist stronghold. They fired thousand of rockets at our cities, at our towns, at our civilians, at our children. They’ve smuggled thousands of rockets and missiles into Gaza, and they deliberately place these rockets and missiles in civilian areas: in homes, in schools, near hospitals. This year alone, the fired over one thousand rockets and missiles at Israel, included close to 200 rockets in the last 24 hours.
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- Written by MFA
FM Liberman thanked Secretary Clinton for American backing
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Liberman spoke on the phone with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov and with the Foreign Minister of Romania Titus Corlăţean.
FM Liberman thanked Secretary Clinton for the American backing, for their support of Israel at the Security Council and for the calls she made to the foreign ministers of Egypt and Turkey. Minister Liberman and Secretary Clinton assessed the situation and exchanged views vis-a-vis the events. FM Liberman stated after the discussion that the United States understands that Hamas must unconditionally stop the bombardment on Israel, and that we are very appreciative of the resolute American position regarding Israel’s right to defend itself.
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- Written by EEAS-TEL AVIV
President of the Commission issued the following statement today:
"I am deeply concerned at the escalating violence in Israel and the Gaza Strip and deplore the loss
of civilian lives on both sides. The rocket attacks by Hamas and other factions in Gaza which began
this current crisis are totally unacceptable for any government and must stop. Israel has the right to
protect its population from these kinds of attacks. I urge Israel to ensure that its response is
proportionate.
I spoke with leaders in the region including PM Netanyahu and with the Egyptian President's office
and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. I stressed the need to prevent a further escalation and
more loss of life. In my discussions I made the point that we must move forward in finding a
solution to the Middle East conflict so that millions of people in the region can finally live in peace
and security. I hope Egyptian PM Kandil in his visit to Gaza today will be able calm the situation."
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- Written by Office of the President
photo
Amos Ben Gershom/GPO
http://youtu.be/O47PiInE21c
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Shimon Peres at the President's Residence in Jerusalem and the two discussed the ongoing situation in southern Israel:
President Shimon Peres
"No-one doubts the justification of the operation – We cannot abandon women and children to the madness of Hamas"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
We will continue to hit hard the missiles which are intended for the center and south of Israel
