Israel changed the "equation" that favored the Islamic terrorist group Hamas when they attacked the Gaza strip, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said today. Livni told foreign representatives from the European Union today that Israel’s actions represent "a legitimate right to self-defense." She defends Israel’s actions saying the citizens of Israel had enough of feeling threatened and the attack changed the "equation." CNN reports:

"Before the military operation, the equation was that Hamas targets Israelis whenever it likes, and Israel shows restraint," Livni said. "This is something that stopped in a day in which we initiated the military operation. This is not going to be [any] longer the equation in this region. When Israel is targeted, Israel is going to retaliate."

On December 27, Israel began its air assault on Gaza — destroying mosques, which allegedly were used to store weapons, and leveled the homes of some suspected Hamas operatives. The EU foreign ministers — led by Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg — are part of a delegation that arrived in the region on a mission to defuse tensions and re-establish a cease-fire between Israel and the Hamas leaders in Gaza. 

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that the assault will go on until neighboring Israeli communities are safe from attack. An official Hamas leader said that they’re ready for a long battle. It is being reported that Israel has several goals to achieve, including providing a sense of safety in the region, severely weakening Hamas and preventing Hamas from re-arming. Click here to watch the Reuters report. No end is in sight. Senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar said Monday in a televised address, CNN reports, that there’s no intention of stopping its rocket fire toward Israel.

Mayor Bloomberg, who visited Israel this weekend and had to take shelter after rockets exploded in the town he was in, also shared in Livni’s and Barak’s convictions. He said that Israel has a right to defend itself, and that he fully understands Israel’s actions in attacking Hamas to stop missiles from raining down on southern Israeli cities and also related Israel’s situation to America’s War on Terror.

"You should rest assured, if anyone in New York was being threatened, my instruction to the NYPD would be to use all the resources at their disposal to protect civilians," he said, reports the New York Post.  He added, "I think, as a New Yorker, we’ve been attacked twice by al-Qaeda itself. We’ve seen enormous devastation and courage, and after that you sort of feel you have a bond, if you will, for those who live in a dangerous world and subject to someone trying to kill them."