By Xinhua
Jerusalem : Israel should continue to act against terrorism during the negotiating period with the Palestinians, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Monday.
“We must simultaneously work to alter the situation in the field and persist in the struggle against terrorism, as well as the formation of effective institutions and security groups on the Palestinian side in order to create an effective Palestinian governing body to make agreements with,” Livni was quoted by the website of local daily Ha’aretz as saying during a tour to the West Bank.
“Only in this way can we implement the agreements that we make during the negotiations,” she added.
Livni reiterated that “when Israel is required to fight for security it must do so, even at the price of international criticism.”
Earlier, a report said that Israeli troops will begin scale back activities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank from Monday, ahead of U.S. President George W. Bush’s visit to the region this week.
Bush is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Wednesday and he will visit the Palestinian National Authority on Thursday as part of a regional tour that will cover seven states in nine days, during which the U.S. president is expected to press Israel and Palestinians to accelerate their recently revived peace talks.
Three Palestinian militants were killed Monday by Israel Defense Forces’ fire in two separate incidents in the West Bank and Gaza, including a female suicide bomber.