Hamas and LeT are similar: Israel

The guns are silent in Gaza, but nobody knows for how long. The latest crisis, in the long history of Middle East, has taken a huge toll on Palestinians and brought new focus on the region. The more than three weeks of Israeli pounding of Hamas targets killed over a thousand- certainly all of them were not militants. For the larger part of the conflict that was, as per Israel, spurned by rocket firing from Hamas, the world stood like a mute spectator with US throwing its weight behind the war, which it said was only a reaction to provocations. Israel made it clear that its targets were achieved, but Hamas also declared victory. In the end, it was the blood of humans that got spilled and chances of peace that got buried. To get a better view of one of the world’s most dangerous hot spots, Shashank Chouhan of Zeenews.com spoke with Eli Belotsercovsky, the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Israel embassy in New Delhi. Excerpts: On aims and success of the strike: When Israel pulled out from Gaza in 2005 we expected peace, but to no avail. We do not have any territorial conflict in Gaza as such and we had nothing to do with it after the pull-out. When Hamas came to power, it said it aimed at the destruction of Israel and began regular bombing of southern Israel. The truce between Israel and Hamas, which was facilitated by Egypt, was ending in December and Hamas had declared it wouldn’t renew it. After the truce expired on December 26, they began raining rockets in our residential areas. We decided, reluctantly, to retaliate in order to save our citizens and to establish deterrence. Our aim was to make sure that Hamas is not able to re-arm itself again. It’s early to say if we have achieved these goals, but the world understands the threat from Hamas in a much better way now. On the other hand, Hamas has declared victory. It’s an irony- so many people have died and they took out processions of victory. What is there to celebrate? On Israel‘s ‘disproportionate’ response: Hamas has amassed large number of weapons and has stored them in underground tunnels. We were not interested in a ground offensive, but it was not wise to bombard them and wait for impact. Moreover, all of their installations could not be bombarded from air. Israel basically targeted the infrastructure which is used against it. We even contacted lakhs of Gazans through SMSs, phone calls etc, warning them of an impending strike, so that they may take cover. We even let aid pour into Gaza for 3-4 hours during the war everyday. And even in those hours, we were attacked. What else- it was Hamas who chose the battlefield. They took shelter in residential areas, in mosques, in hospitals. They did not engage us in fields, but in buildings where civilians lived. That is corroborated by independent news agencies as well. On blocking aid: It was not really a blockade. Even during attacks, tons of aid poured inside Gaza. There all kinds of allegations and counter-allegations, but the fact is that Hamas breathes only hatred. It clearly states in its charter that it won’t let Israel exist, it will not talk and will only wage jehad. If they, at least, agree on our right of life, we will proactively support the people of Gaza. On attacking UN properties: When PM Olmert met with the visiting UN chief Ban Ki-moon, he expressed deep regret on the bombarding of the UN properties. The attacks were not random - they were caused in response to these properties or area around them being used to fire at our troops. We apologise for them nevertheless. Please understand, this war was being fought in an extremely populated area, where even our soldiers got killed in friendly-fire. We have never intended to target civilians. Our aim was to eliminate those who were actively involved in Hamas’ anti-Israel plans. The Police Academy that got razed in the initial stage was also a part of those plans. On breeding further hatred: Many Palestinians understand the current situation. They realize that the blame lies with Hamas, who needlessly attacked Israel when they were supposed to work for Gazans’ development. A war can never create goodwill. Hamas says it is trying to correct past injustices. We don’t want to engage in such a debate and we don’t reject all the allegations. But now is the time to look to our future, so that there is peace. Past should be addressed by historians, not politicians. On Israeli occupations: We are not intending to control Gaza or West Bank in any way- directly or indirectly. But there are people in Gaza, who want our destruction. They have developed infrastructure and get arms and ammunition into their side to attack us. Their will and means are against us. Our aim of attacking was to destroy this will and its means. If we can prevent the smuggling of arms and ammunition, we will be in a better position to lift all kinds of limitations over Gaza. We have to have some guarantees before that is done and till that time, we will control everything in our power for the protection of Israelis. On hostile neighbourhood: Syria and Iran are creating tensions. Iranian leaders declare openly that their aim is to destroy Israel. Iran is a destructive force and supports organizations, which want confrontation, not negotiation to settle issues. Hezbollah also depends upon them for survival. We had hopes that Syria will turn a new page as indirect talks were on through Turkish mediators. But in the current crisis, it refused to come around the point and positioned itself in a radical camp. We can’t deal with these countries alone, the international community needs to support us. On the peace process: The Saudi initiated plan of Israel going back to pre-1967 boundaries is still there on the table. A two-state solution is what we have agreed to and are working for that with the Palestinian Authority- the legitimate representatives of all Palestinians. Issues like Israeli settlements etc are technical points that should not be a hurdle for long-term peace. As far as the status of Jerusalem goes, we can solve that with mutual agreement. Israeli society has reached a stage where it is willing to compromise- but the will has to be there from the other side as well. As far as American support goes, there has been a sincere approach towards Middle East. But it’s a complicated conflict. We have great expectations from President Obama and he is willing to throw his energy behind peace as he called PM Olmert on the first day of assuming office. But it’s a bit too early to say how he will ‘change’ things. On international support- or lack of it: US has stood by us through thick and thin. Israel’s position was understood by Europe as well as Russia. Even moderate Arab countries understood our intention - even though they publicly condemned us due to their domestic constituencies. We have to protect our citizens in the end, support or no support. On Mumbai attacks: Mumbai attacks were a very traumatic experience for all of us. Its scale was unbelievable and was just like 9/11. It was truly the worst attack we have ever witnessed. We offered India any and every kind of assistance it may need. And it was not even funny to hear allegations from Pakistan about it being a Christian-Jewish-Hindu conspiracy- we were flattered, but one should not even react to such wild thoughts. As far as sharing intelligence goes, that is a thing that can not be revealed, but I assure you that there is cooperation at all levels between our countries. On demands in India to take action a la Israel: It’s a different situation altogether and its unfair to compare them. It is up to the people and the Government of India to decide on their response. One thing is for sure: Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hamas are the same. Both of these are terrorist organizations which are inflexible in their approach and don’t seem to want peace. They spill the blood of innocents for reasons that can be sorted out on table. But the context and environment of the subcontinent is different.