Justice Minister Tzipi Livni called upon the United Nations on Wednesday to take immediate action to end the bloodshed in Syria.
Speaking at an Israel Bar Association convention in Herzliya, Livni said mere rhetoric from the UN was not enough at this stage.
“The UN, whose motto since its first day has been ‘never again,’ must intervene,” Livni said. “It is not enough to make heartwarming speeches. [The UN] must also struggle for such values with its actions. The events taking place in Syria must be stopped while they’re still small."
Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz agreed with Livni in his remarks at a rally in Samaria.
"We are living in a region in which everything is stormy and we are an island of serenity and security in the heart of the region," Katz said. "In a reality of massacres and blood as Muslims slaughter Muslims and [peace] plans come and go, we have no choice but to rely on the Rock of Israel and the Israel Defense Forces.
Science, Technology, and Space Minister Ya'acov Peri criticized America's handling of Syria at Haifa University's business forum.
"We can give our handling of the Syrian situation a good grade," Peri said. "Unlike on the Iranian issue on which ministers and former security officials have talked too much, on Syria the system has been well thought out. This is sign of maturity. There is no dispute that the butcher in Damascus is killing people and not just with chemical weapons. He used chemical weapons in the past. I can't give my opinion on how a superpower is managing the crisis in Syria but I might have handled it differently."
Envoys from the five permanent UN Security Council member states will meet in New York on Wednesday to discuss plans to place Syrian chemical weapons under international control, diplomats said.