Back From US, Olmert Looks to Europe
Excerpts;
Israel continues to try to impress upon the Europeans that its policy toward the Hamas-led PA is not an attempt to punish the Palestinians. The government’s decision Sunday to release some NIS 50 million of money Israel has held up to the PA to buy medicine and medical supplies resounded well in Europe, one European diplomatic official said. The official said that Olmert and Livni’s diplomatic style – which he described as “soft rhetoric but strong content” – was generally being noted positively in Europe.
“What Olmert and Livni are doing is affirming their values in a non-confrontational manner,” the diplomat said. “If Israel wants to be credible in the world, it doesn’t want to take the risk that people will say it hasn’t reached out its hand or opened up the doors.”