Israel/Hamas

     "Israel cannot allow a situation where Hamas is free to build a formidable military machine in the Gaza Strip," one government official said in reference to the continuing smuggling of arms into the area. "Israel will continue to defend its citizens; that is our obligation as a government." Sources in the Prime Minister's Office, however, denied reports that any messages regarding a truce (or "hudna" in Arabic) had been passed on from Hamas. "No one knows of any message from Hamas," one official said. Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev, said Hamas was "playing games, and the authentic Hamas was the Hamas we saw on Shabbat celebrating the 20th anniversary of the founding of the organization, where all we saw was hatred, extremism and support for terrorism." Regev reiterated Israel's position that Israel would not deal with Hamas until it changed and accepted the international community's three benchmarks: forswearing violence, recognizing Israel and accepting previous agreements. "Our partner for discussions on the Palestinian side is the legitimate Palestinian government," Regev said. "Hamas has excluded itself from talks by its continued rejection of the international community's benchmarks." The EU's envoy to the Middle East, Marc Otte, told The Jerusalem Post that he did not see a military solution to the situation in the Gaza Strip, and that both Israel and the Palestinians would suffer from a widespread Israeli incursion. President Shimon Peres, meanwhile, called Haniyeh's overture a "pathetic and misleading attempt to divert international attention away from the crimes of Hamas and Islamic Jihad." "If Hamas and Islamic Jihad stop firing rockets at our women and children, Israel will immediately hold its fire, so there is no need for negotiations," Peres said. "Hamas does not give hope to [the Palestinian] people. Its sole purpose is to sow destruction, bloodshed and war, and the moment it ceases its violent crimes, quiet will once again reign in our region." (00,39)