Liberman calls for ground invasion

In a visit to Ashkelon, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman calls for a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip to restore quiet in the south.

“We cannot promise a normal summer for our children without a ground incursion in Gaza,” he says.

Liberman says the Israeli government does not need to control Gaza, or settle it, but it must rid the coastal enclave of its terrorists.

He cites the practice of hiding rockets and launchers in densely populated areas as the reason a ground operation is needed, saying they can’t be hit from the air without sustaining massive collateral damage.

He also calls for international community to give full support to Israel’s actions.

With regard to rumors of conflict between him and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the foreign minister says: “The government speaks with one voice; everyone wants to restore security to the Israeli people.”

But on how best to accomplish that, he says, there are differences of opinion.

The foreign minister has called for ground invasion several times since the operation began.