Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Tuesday that European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton should retract her comparison of the Toulouse murders with deaths in Gaza.

Ashton responded to the cold-blooded murder of a rabbi and three Jewish children in Toulouse by saying, “When we think of what happened in Toulouse today, when we remember what happened in Norway a year ago, when we know what is happening in Syria, when we see what is happening in Gaza and in different parts of the world – we remember young people and children who lose their lives."

Lieberman said her remarks were “inappropriate: and added that Ashton wanted to refer to other children, she should have mentioned those “in southern Israel who live in constant fear of rocket attacks launched from Gaza."

The Foreign Minister spoke during his visit to China and emphasized that "Israel is the most moral country in the world and despite the fact that it has to fight terrorist who operate from within civilian populations, the IDF makes every effort possible not to harm that population."

While Hamas and allied terrorists operate from within civilian areas, "The IDF risks its soldiers´ lives in order to minimize risk to civilian population,” Lieberman added.

Opposition leader Tzipi Livni, in rare agreement with Lieberman, called Ashton’s comments “outrageous” and demanded that she issue a retraction. (IsraelNationalNews © 2012 03/20/12)