Olmert: Hamas was hit hard at the hands of my government

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert applauded the results of Operation Cast Lead in Gaza on Tuesday, despite the launching of a Grad-type rocket which hit Ashkelon earlier in the day. "I'm happy that the security situation in the South has changed," he said during a visit to the northern city of Acre. "Hamas was hit hard at the hands of the Israeli government under my leadership." He also promised that Israel would respond to even the smallest provocation from Hamas, saying "we won't be patient and we won't show restraint." The prime minister went on to defend his government's decisions during the Second Lebanon War in 2006, saying, "Two years ago I said there would be quiet in the North, and was ridiculed. Today, the North is prospering, and that's how it will be in the South too."