"Would Gaza leaders denounce terror, stop building tunnels, shooting missiles, release Gilad Shalit, there would be no need for any sort of closure or blockade"
President Shimon Peres on Sunday urged Hamas to abandon the path of terror and said that if it were to do so, there would be no need for a blockade on the Gaza Strip.
"If Gaza would turn to peace, she would have peace and there would be no need for flotillas," the president said at the start of the annual Jewish Agency assembly in Jerusalem.
"We withdrew from Gaza entirely and no Israeli was left in the Gaza Strip."
"We did not understand then, nor do we understand now, why after evacuating Gaza, the rulers of Gaza started to fire thousands of missiles against civilian life in Israel. For what reason? For what purpose?".
"The question remains unanswered today,Would Gaza agree to peace, to negotiations instead? Would Gaza leaders denounce terror, stop the building of tunnels and shooting missiles, stop attempting to kidnap Israeli soldiers and release Gilad Shalit who was abducted on Israeli territory, there would be no need for any sort of closure or blockade."
Peres said attempts have been made recently to de-legitimize Israel. " De-legitimizing Israel means to legitimize, directly or indirectly, the lawless organization like al-Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah and their overt and covert supporters, dictatorial regimes who kill and arrest their own people without count, without human respect."
"Maybe some of us feel lonely, more than ever... But the truth is that we are not alone. I believe that President Obama says and means that Israel's security is America's top priority.
"I believe that Europe with its own experience and in its wisdom will turn to the people of Gaza and the West Bank and tell them that peace depends on them negotiating and is better than shooting."