Olmert to Ban: Probe into Gaza war devastation must take rocket damage into account, too

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has asked UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for assurance that any UN investigation of the damage resulting from the war in Gaza includes the damage Palestinian-fired rockets caused in Israel's south. Ban has agreed to do so, a top government official said.

"Any report must include the damage caused during the operation and in the past eight years to the communities of the south as a result of the Qassam fire," Olmert said.

Olmert and Ban met Tuesday to discuss the United Nations' request that an investigation team be sent to Gaza in the next few weeks to assess the damage caused by the war, the government official said. During a visit to Gaza Tuesday, Ban publicly demanded a full investigation of what he called the "outrageous" Israel Defense Forces shelling of three UN buildings in the Gaza Strip, which Israel says Hamas used as cover for launching attacks.

Ban told Olmert the report would be aimed at prioritizing rehabilitation efforts, while Olmert insisted that Hamas play no role in the reconstruction, the Israeli source said.

"The rehabilitation efforts must be coordinated by the international organizations in conjunction with Egypt and the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas, which is responsible for the destruction of Gaza, must not derive any legitimacy from the rehabilitation process," Olmert said.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni will be meeting in Brussels today with 27 European foreign ministers to discuss how their countries can help fight arms-smuggling in Gaza. After the talks, the European Union is expected to publish a statement about the need to halt the smuggling of weapons into Gaza.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini visited Israel yesterday, telling Olmert his country was willing to help prevent weapons from being smuggled in by sea and to send experts and equipment to the area to help make anti-smuggling efforts as effective as possible. Frattini sent a humanitarian aid package from Italy to Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing yesterday, which he visited with Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog (Labor). The package includes medication worth 250,000 euros, a gift from Italy's Jewish community.

Also Tuesday, Olmert told brigade commanders in the south that there was a chance of freeing captive soldier Gilad Shalit, who was captured by Palestinian militants on the Gaza border in June 2006 - but warned the price would be high.

"Before the operation and while it was taking place, I set processes in motion to lead to Gilad Shalit's return home," Olmert said. "There is a chance of that, but the prices will be very heavy."

Livni said Tuesday Israel would demand progress in efforts to free Shalit in exchange for reopening the Gaza border crossings.

"There is something Hamas wants from Israel, [and] we have someone we want to get back - Gilad Shalit," she said. "One thing is bound up in the other. It is impossible to separate those things and it will be impossible to advance any other issue before we advance what's important to us - the release of Gilad Shalit."