Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded Tuesday to a Hamas statement that negotiations for release of abducted soldier Gilad Shalit had been suspended.
"If Hamas wants the deal, it will take place. If it does not – it will not take place,” Netanyahu said at a press conference after the joint session between the Italian and Israeli governments in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu spoke about relations with Turkey as well. “Our relations with Turkey are important,” he said. “They have recently experienced some decline, not of our choosing. I think it is in both nations' interest to stabilize these relations. Of course, any country that can help, like Italy, can only be commended. Can Silvio Berlusconi assist in this? I assume so.”
Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi promised Monday at a dinner with Netanyahu to continue to act against the Iranian nuclear program. “My job is to make sure that the leaders of the world do not fall into the apathy that has already led us to a great tragedy,” he said – in a reference to the dithering that enabled Adolf Hitler to build up Germany's military before World War 2.