Israeli president Shimon Peres has criticized European efforts to seek a halt to the Gaza conflict insisting that Israel was not worried about its international image. "Europe must open its eyes. We are not in the business of public relations or improving our image. We are fighting against terror, and we have every right to defend our citizens," the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Israeli head of state told an EU ministerial delegation. EU external relations commissioner Benita Ferraro-Waldner reportedly told Peres that "Israel's image is being destroyed" because of its refusal to listen to international ceasefire appeals, the president's office said in a statement. The EU delegation followed French president Nicolas Sarkozy in appealing to Peres and other Israeli leaders for a ceasefire in the conflict.
Peres held talks in Jerusalem with Ferraro-Waldner, Czech foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg and Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt. He said Israel was "fighting a comprehensive war against murderous terror, which is of Iran's making."
"None of the European countries would tolerate rocket fire on their citizens, and they must understand that Hamas is a terror organization of the worst order that uses its population of women and children as human shields," the president said. Ferrero-Waldner was quoted as saying that every nation has the right to defend itself, but that Israel's actions in Gaza were disproportionate. "We have met with the heads of international humanitarian organizations and delegations, and we were told that there is a serious problem in Gaza of distributing the delegations' shipments," she said according to the statement from Peres's office. "We have come to Israel in order to advance the initiative for a humanitarian ceasefire and I will tell you, Mr. President, that you have a serious problem with international advocacy, and that Israel's image is being destroyed."
