Lebanese President condemns attack against Gaza

Lebanon’s President Michel Sleiman on Thursday condemned Israel’s attack against Gaza, saying it diminishes chances for peace in the region. President Sleiman condemned the “barbaric” attack against Gaza, reiterating calls for international pressure on Israel to engage in peace talks with Palestinians. “The open war against Gaza, which Israel started with barbaric aggression, is not unusual for Israeli policy that only uses the language of killing and destruction”, Sleiman said in a statement from his press office. The president accused Israel of violating international resolutions and all human rights charters. “War does not contribute to the aspired democracy in the Middle East. The international community must pressure Israeli officials to engage in peace talks”, said Sleiman. He added that the policy of aggression proved to be futile. “It is about time for the enemy to realize that the aggression policy has been proven futile and sit at the negotiation table if it is truly willing to reach peace, which doesn’t seem to be the case until now”, said Sleiman.