Livni, has an advantage?
Photo: AP
Shalit, waiting 900 days
Photo: AP
Livni: We can't always bring troops home
Speaking on 900th day since Gilad Shalit's abduction, Kadima chairwoman and premiership hopeful says 'we all want Gilad to come back home, but part of the willingness to fight is the understanding that we don't have any other choice.' Hamas is not a partner, she adds
On the 900th day of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit's captivity in Gaza, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said, "We cannot always bring all of them (soldiers) home."
In a meeting with students at a Tel Aviv high school on Thursday, the Kadima chairwoman said, "The thought that I can free Gilad and am not doing it is a horrible thought.
900 Days
One of Hamas leaders in Gaza Strip tells Israel Radio kidnapped IDF soldier could be released in one day, admits he did not think affair would last 900 days. Al-Zahar also rejects visit by Red Cross, but promises Islam treats hostages well
"We all want Gilad to come back home, but part of the willingness to fight is the understanding that we don't have any other choice. There is always a risk of casualties, and it's not always possible to bring everyone back home."
Regarding complications in the Gaza Strip, Livni said, "The long term goal is to bring down the Hamas government. Hamas is not a partner."
Talking about the Saudi peace initiative Livni said, "I don't need new suggestions – not in Arabic and not in French – for an agreement with the Palestinians. I want to make them myself."
Livni criticized the government system in Israel. "Governments don't last, and because of this bad system we don't get the chance to do anything," she said, promising that "right after elections I will work to change the system".
With general elections only two months away, the candidate didn't pass up the chance to take a blow at her opponents, and said, "There are also non-hedonistic politicians that don't fly first class and smoke cigars.
"The Likud primaries will make it easier for the public to make the right choice. Now the distinction between the different paths is clear."
Stating her advantage over other politicians Livni said, "We are used to a prime minister that is taken hostage by the military establishment. I am not there, this is my advantage.
"I can ask questions. When the army goes in I also think a few steps ahead, and already think about the exit. In the (Second) Lebanon War the military men thought they were operating alone."
