Israel Not to Compromise on Security Issues: Sharon

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, June 12, 2003

Israel Not to Compromise on Security Issues: Sharon

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Wednesday defended Israel's failed attempt to assassinate Hamas spokesman in Gaza Abdul Aziz al-Rantissi, saying he would not compromise on security issues.

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Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Wednesday defended Israel's failed attempt to assassinate Hamas spokesman in Gaza Abdul Aziz al-Rantissi, saying he would not compromise on security issues.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Sharon was quoted by Israel Radio as telling his ministers that Israel had made it very clear to boththe United States and the Palestinians that when it comes to fighting terrorism, there can be no concessions.

According to the Israel Radio, Sharon said Israel's military operations are "not contradictory to peace but actually better the chances for peace since there can be no progress in talks as long as terror exists".

An Israeli helicopter gunship Tuesday fired five rockets on a car that held Rantissi on a crowded main street in Gaza City, killing a woman, a little girl and one of the Hamas leader's aides,wounding 34 others.

After the attack, US President George W. Bush said he was "deeply troubled" by Israeli helicopter strikes on Rantissi, and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas angrily denounced it as a "terrorist act" and a "terrible deterioration" of the recent peace efforts.

US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice also called Sharon's chief of staff, Doiv Weisglass, demanding Israel explain why it was necessary to try to assassinate the Hamas hardliner.

Israeli intelligence officials said they were trying to prove tothe Americans that Rantissi was "not a ticking bomb, but a factory of ticking bombs".

Sharon said earlier on Wednesday he had asked his aide to turn over a detailed intelligence to US officials to back accusations that Rantissi, the public face of Hamas, had been coordinating attacks on Israelis.

In an Interview with local media on Wednesday, Sharon said if the Palestinians don't undertake their commitment to fight terrorism, "we will do so without hesitation."

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