JERUSALEM
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Friday signaled his opposition to any ceasefire with Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
"I object to this move [proposals for a ceasefire]. We are making a serious mistake," Lieberman was quoted as saying by Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot.
His statements come amid reports that Egypt is in the process of mediating a ceasefire between Gaza-based Hamas and Israel in an attempt to prevent further escalation in the Palestinian territories.
"The message that 'calm will be met with calm' is misled," Lieberman said, adding: "While we talk about a ceasefire, Hamas continues to develop missiles that can reach Tel Aviv."
"All we are doing is postponing the problem and not finding a solution," he said during a visit to the southern city of Sderot near the Gaza border.
Lieberman recently called for Israel's reoccupation of the Gaza Strip after three Jewish settlers – who had gone missing earlier from a Jewish-only settlement in the West Bank – were found dead.
Tensions remain high on the Gaza-Israel border, with Israeli military aircraft launching strikes against targets inside the Gaza Strip in response to what it says is a surge in rocket attacks from the Palestinian enclave.
By Anees Barghouthy
www.aa.com.tr/en
