Livni: Ground incursion up to Hamas

Whether or not Israel will launch a ground operation in Gaza will depend on Hamas, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni says.

“It is our duty to provide security to our citizens. The question is what’s the right way to do that. It very much depends on the extent to which Hamas will not allow Israel’s citizens to live in peace,” she declares at Haaretz’s peace conference.

Livni refuses to say whether the security cabinet, of which she is a member, currently favors a ground operation, saying merely that it is not the government’s “first choice” but that it will be weighed if need be.

Livni is speaking on a session about the peace talks, at which Palestinian top peace negotiator Saeb Erekat was originally scheduled to speak as well. However, citing the Israeli-Palestinian tensions of the recent days, Erekat canceled his appearance.

— Raphael Ahren