Olmert says Gaza offensive just in initial stages
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Shimon Peres held a meeting on Tuesday morning in Jerusalem. During the meeting, the Israeli premier updated Peres on the latest developments as the offensive in Gaza Strip entered its fourth day. According to Israeli press reports, Olmert said that the military operation in Gaza Strip is still in its initial stages. According to him, the bombardment so far was "the first of several stages approved by the security cabinet." He added that the diplomatic-security cabinet is granting the army as much wiggle room as it needs in order to reach the goals of the operation.
"Israel is not fighting the Palestinian population but a terrorist organization that whose raison d'etre is continued violence and destabilizing the region," said Peres. "Nobody in this world understands what are Hamas' goals and why it continues to fire missiles," the Israeli president said. "This shooting has no point, no logic, and no chance."
In Tehran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that Iran is asking the International Criminal Court to bring to justice Israeli leaders for the war crimes they perpetrated in Gaza for four days running. According to IRNA, he said that Iran would follow up a fair solution to the ongoing human crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Expressing shock and grief on the developments in Gaza Strip, the Iranian leader said his country's policy is based on political and spiritual support for the Palestinian nation. He added that the Islamic Republic of Iran would earnestly pursue trial of the Israeli leaders at the United Nations Court specialized in war crimes. Ahmadinejad reiterated that leaders of the Tel Aviv regime must be punished and put on trial for committing crimes against humanity in Gaza.