Olmert criticizes Syria, defends Bush in AP interview; says Israel 'is not afraid of fighting'

(AP) On a table facing his desk, Ehud Olmert keeps photographs of three Israeli soldiers whose capture by Islamic militants in Gaza and Lebanon sparked the latest Mideast crisis.

"Israel is not afraid of fighting," the Israeli prime minister said Wednesday in his wood-paneled office, sitting under images of Ariel Sharon and Yitzhak Rabin.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Olmert lashed out at Syria, condemned Hezbollah, defended President Bush and predicted the crisis' outcome will "create a new momentum between us and the Palestinians."

He also said Israel's offensive against Hezbollah will stop only once a robust international peacekeeping force is in place in southern Lebanon _ his clearest indication to date that Israel would resist European pressure for an immediate cease-fire.

As Olmert spoke, 8,000 Israeli troops staged a massive new ground offensive in southern Lebanon, seizing five Hezbollah fighters _ and the guerrillas fired a record number of rockets into Israel. The three-week-old conflict has killed at least 540 Lebanese and 55 Israelis.

Israel has not released the identities of the captured Hezbollah guerrillas. When asked by The Associated Press whether any were "big fish," Olmert said: "They are tasty fishes."

The Israeli leader spoke calmly of his determination to press ahead with the offensive, which he said has significantly "upset all the strategic plans of Iran and Hezbollah in the Middle East." He said the release of two Israelis seized by Hezbollah on July 12 must be unconditional _ signaling Israel does not favor a prisoner swap.

After the soldiers' capture, Olmert said the expectation was that Israel "will engage in this typical Oriental bazaar, negotiations with Hezbollah for the return of prisoners. No more."

"Israel will stop fighting when the international force will be present in the south of Lebanon," he said. "We can't stop before because if there will not be a presence of a very effective and robust military international force, Hezbollah will be there and we will have achieved nothing."

Washington is leading efforts to put together an international force that could help the Lebanese army take control of south Lebanon after Hezbollah is pushed northward. But it's far from clear how long it will take to put the force together, and sharp disagreements have emerged between Washington and Europe, with the latter favoring an immediate cease-fire before the force is deployed.

In the interview, Olmert said the force should also take up positions along the Lebanon-Syria border "to prevent the smuggling of arms from Syria to Lebanon as they are doing now."

He had harsh words for Syrian leaders, calling them "reckless," "immature," and promoters of terror. Turning to Syria to help solve the crisis would be useless, he said.

"I don't see that Syria is ready or is even prepared to avail itself to any act of moderation," Olmert said.

Some Mideast observers have pointed to Syria's sway over Hezbollah and the fact that it's alliance with Iran, another major Hezbollah supporter, is based more on convenience than shared ideology.

Olmert dismissed criticism of Bush's refusal to talk to Syria or any other regime he dislikes. "He (Bush) is doing the most obvious thing. He's fighting the enemies of freedom, he's fighting the enemies of democracy and he's fighting supporters of terror."

The prime minister also defended Israel's military operations in Lebanon that have killed more than 460 civilians, saying Hezbollah is doing whatever it can to kill Israeli civilians while Israel is trying to avoid killing innocent Lebanese.

"Every time we kill a civilian we consider it as a failure and we are very sorry for it," he said.

Israel's offensives against Islamic militants in Lebanon and in the Gaza Strip _ where Hamas-linked militants captured an Israeli soldier on June 25 _ have raised questions about Olmert's ability to go forward with what was supposed to be the cornerstone of his governing agenda: withdrawing from the West Bank in order to secure a long-term Jewish majority for Israel.

"I'll surprise you," Olmert said. "I genuinely believe that the outcome of the present (conflict) and the emergence of a new order that will provide more stability and will defeat the forces of terror will help create the necessary environment that will allow me ... to create a new momentum between us and the Palestinians."

"We want to separate from the Palestinians," he added. "I'm ready to do it. I'm ready to cope with these demands. It's not easy, it's very difficult, but we are elected to our positions to do things and not to sit idle."

Olmert, a lawyer and former mayor of Jerusalem, has been in power for only four months, taking over from Sharon, who suffered a devastating stroke in January.

"It's true that I am a new prime minister, relatively speaking," he said. "Though in Israel, every day is like a year in other places."