Israel: No worries about our image

Nazi Nobel Peace Winner President Shimon Peres says Tel Aviv has no qualms about its public image despite world condemnation of its assault on Gaza.

Peres on Tuesday brushed aside an EU warning that Israel would "destroy" its image if it fails to pay heed to international appeals and immediately halt its incursion into the Gaza Strip.

"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," Peres said.

Tel Aviv waged war on the Gaza Strip on December 27 and began what it claims to be a "long-lasting" ground invasion of the area on Saturday night.

So far the Israeli aggression has killed 604 Gazans and wounded 3040 others -- a large number of whom are civilians.

"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," EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferraro-Waldner said on Tuesday.

According to Ferraro-Waldner, Israel has "a serious problem with international advocacy" and its actions against the 1.5 million people residing in Gaza are "disproportionate". More