Olmert threatens 'painful' steps against Hamas, rules out truce

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed on Mar. 26 that Israel would take "painful" measures against Hamas, and ruled out any possibility of talks toward a cease-fire. "We are not talking to Hamas and we are not going to compromise with someone that is consistently shooting rockets on the heads of Israelis," Olmert told foreign journalists at a news conference, speaking in English. "We will deal with Hamas in other ways and these ways will be very painful." The prime minister also pledged, however, to press ahead with peace talks with the Palestinian Authority until an agreement is achieved. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni defended the Israel Defense Forces' operations against Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip as necessary for the advancement of peace negotiations. Speaking before a conference organized by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs in the capital on Mar. 26, Livni warned of the adverse impact a possible Hamas-Fatah rapprochement would have on future Israel-PA relations. "If the Palestinian national movement gives in to the other group [Hamas] this will have consequences on our ability to move forward in the political process," Livni said. Livni also said that Israel would insist the Palestinians renounce all demands and declare an end to the conflict as part of any signed peace agreement.