Israel rebuffs observer proposal
2009-01-05 21:04
Jerusalem - Israel on Monday rebuffed
European proposals for international observers in the Gaza Strip
after any ceasefire, pushing instead for teams that will help
search out and seal off tunnels that could allow Hamas to rearm.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, a leading candidate to become
Israel's next prime minister in a February 10 election, said she saw
no reason for an observation and monitoring force, one of
several proposals made by European powers in their bid for a
truce to end Israel's 10-day-old military offensive in Gaza.
"I don't see how this can help," Livni told reporters during
a press conference with visiting European leaders.
Israel wants any international mission on the Gaza Strip's
border with Egypt to be focused instead on preventing Hamas from
re-establishing a network of underground tunnels that could be
used to smuggle in long-range rockets and other weapons, Israeli
officials involved in the deliberations said.