Olmert: A responsible government doesn't run to battle

By JPOST.COM STAFF
"A responsible government neither runs to battle nor runs from it," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said at the beginning of Sunday's cabinet meeting. He said that together with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, a range of "clear, decisive scenarios" to deal with the situation in Gaza had been prepared. Olmert vowed that his government would "implement the necessary steps." The 'calm' in the Gaza Strip, he said, "needs to be two-sided, and without constant firing with the intention to disrupt lives." "We're living in sensitive times - talking isn't solving the issues," he added. Defending his government's decision some six months ago to enter into a cease-fire with Palestinian factions in Gaza, Olmert said, "We wanted for there to be quiet in South, for the residents to be free from the constant threat of non-stop shelling that has disrupted their lives for so long."