Netanyahu sends Putin fiery letter

He warns Russian president of the ramifications of legitimizing terror.

By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN
putin 88 (photo credit: )
putin 88
(photo credit: )
Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu sent Russian President Vladimir Putin a fiery letter on Friday criticizing his decision to invite Hamas leaders to Moscow. Netanyahu reminded the Russian leader of his condemnation of Palestinian terror during a meeting Netanyahu held with Putin in Moscow in 2000. He warned him of the ramifications of legitimizing terror by inviting the Hamas leaders. "Such a move can only provide legitimacy to a terrorist organization that has been defined as such by the entire international community, including the Federal Law of Russia itself," Netanyahu wrote. "Hamas is not only an organization that has the blood of countless innocent men, women and children on its hands, it also declares openly that its goal is to destroy the state of Israel. The decision to invite the leaders of this murderous organization to Moscow will start a process of legitimizing fundamentalist Islamic terror that plagues the entire world." The Likud campaign released a statement blaming the invitations of Hamas leaders to Russia and France on Kadima's policies. The Likud said that the international community only began making overtures to Hamas after acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert decided to continue to send tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority. Netanyahu will tour the Jordan Valley on Sunday to warn voters that a Kadima-led government could force the evacuation of settlements in the valley and to promise that the valley would remain part of Israel forever if he becomes prime minister. The Likud placed ads in Jerusalem weekly newspapers over the weekend highlighting Olmert's failures as mayor of Jerusalem. The ad said that Olmert left Jerusalem with an NIS 2.3 billion debt; the city became Israel's poorest during his tenure and 90,000 Jerusalemites left the city when he was mayor. Olmert will host a rally at Kadima's Petah Tikva headquarters on Sunday with more than 100 mayors and party branch heads expected to attend. Olmert, former prime minister Shimon Peres and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni are set to speak at the event. Kadima is expected to reveal its socioeconomic platform this week. Labor chairman Amir Peretz and Labor candidate Avishay Braverman will hold a press conference at their party's Tel Aviv headquarters on Sunday to reveal their party's socioeconomic platform.