(dpa) - The
Israeli security cabinet, meeting Wednesday to discuss the recent violence in
the Gaza Strip, decided to work to bring about an end "to rocket attacks
and terrorism from the Gaza Strip," a government statement said.
The statement, issued by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Office after the meeting,
did not specify whether the end to the rocket attacks was to be achieved solely
through military means, but noted that Israel reserved the right to
"freedom of action against terrorism" while conducting negotiations
with the Palestinian Authority.
The cabinet also decided to continue its fight against the Hamas administration
in the Gaza Strip, and to work toward reducing the Islamist movements efforts
to acquire weapons.
According to reports from the meeting, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel will continue its strikes against those militants responsible for launching the missiles,
which continued to hit southern Israel Wednesday.
The cabinet met as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was in the
region to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials in an effort to get a
definite commitment from the Palestinian Authority to restart peace talks,
suspended over the weekend in response to an Israel air and ground offensive in
the Gaza Strip, which left over 120 Palestinians dead.
Two Israeli soldiers also died in the fighting, which was sparked by an
intensification of rocket attacks - 258 missiles and mortars launched over 5
days - on Israeli towns and villages adjacent to the Gaza Strip.
Rice has held talks with Olmert and with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on
Tuesday and met with Palestinian negotiators Saeb Erekat and Ahmed Qureia on
Wednesday morning, and was set to meet later in the day with Israeli Defence
Minister Ehud Barak and then with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.
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