Israel To Leave Gaza Strip, Israeli Official (Feature)
By Worthy News International Correspondent Khristov Exoucia
GAZA, ISRAEL (Worthy News) — A senior official involved in Israel’s ongoing offensive against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip has said Israel does not want to re-occupy the Palestinian territory, and he accused the United Nations of being “an Israel bashing parade” and supporting Hamas.
The comments were made by Danny Gillman, an ex-Israeli ambassador to the U.N. and Israel’s current Foreign Ministry Interim Public Diplomacy Director for ‘Operation Cast Lead.’
Speaking to Worthy News and other reporters from around the world during a telephone conference, Gillman said, “We don’t have any interest in occupying Gaza what so ever,” adding that “not a single Israeli soldier has occupied Gaza” since September 2005.
He said Israel will leave the Gaza Strip when its military objectives are met, including ending rocket attacks from the militant group Hamas. Over 6000 missiles with a range of up to 30 miles (48 kilometers) have been pounding southern Israel for the last eight years, he said.
U.N UNDER FIRE
Gillman accused the United Nations of supporting Hamas, saying it uses television images of civilian victims in the Gaza Strip to condemn Israel.
He claimed the images are used by those “who support Hamas,” including the U.N. “Israel wants nothing from the United Nations for in my six years there I realized that the United Nations is just a Israel bashing parade and has done absolutely nothing, nothing, for Israel and nothing for Palestinians that if of any single benefit and continues to be this very hour,” the diplomat said.
The U.N. has called for an immediate ceasefire, amid reports that nearly 900 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed and 3,500 others injured in Israel’s latest offensive. Western officials have also called Israel’s actions “disproportionate,” something Gillman denies.
He said the reported high death toll was in part a result of Hamas “forcing” Palestinian civilians to be “human shields.” He said, “The leaders of Hamas hide behind the skirts of women and children” and added that Hamas has been placing rocket launchers on homes and appartment blocks.
LIVING NEAR EXPLOSIONS
In addition, he said, Palestinian civilians are forced to live near explosives, to increase the number of people killed in Israeli strikes. Television footage and other pictures of those deadly incidents are than used to increase world support for Hamas, including from the U.N, he alleged.
At the same time he questioned the number of victims, saying “leftist groups” such as human rights group Amnesty International paint Israel as “the bully of the middle east”, and are “siding with groups like Hamas” and accepting only their data “which is always false.” There was no way of veryfying his claims as Israel so far refused to allow Western journalists to enter the Gaza Strip.
Gillman did not indicate when, and if, Israel will allow foreign reporters to cover the fighting in the Gaza Strip. On Tuesday, January 13, the Israeli offensive, dubbed ‘Operation Cast Lead’ entered its 18th day.
Gillman said the operation aims to destroy the terrorist infrastructure of Hamas over several phases, but he denied the aim was to destroy the group, which has been involved also in humanitarian projects.
TWO PHASES
He explained that the war had seen two phases, beginning with a long air assault wich Gillman said included, “very heavy blows but not enough to cause Hamas to come to their senses and stop the terror.” He added that Hamas’ refusal to relent, required the second phase, a “land incursion” deep into the Gaza Strip.
Gillman stressed however that Israel so far used “great restraint and more than any nation in the world” as over the last years it was attacked by rockets. Imagine, he said, if “day after day, week after week, month after month, several times a day…Chicago, New York, Dallas, Los Angeles” were attacked.
“Would we think a Democratic nation other than Israel would use restraint for 8 years? Will not tollerate the actions of Hamas any longer and will not cease until they achieve stability in Gaza,” he explained.
He accused Iran of supporting Hamas and the other militant group, Hezbollah, in Lebanon. Gillman said Iran had financed and trained them, and supplied the groups with weapons, including long range missiles. There were no immediate comments from Iranian officials.
MIDDLE EAST HOPES
He said despite disagreement, he hopes the world will ensure that Iran will not be able to develop nuclear weapons. “I hope the entire world will flatly deny Iran atomic weapons because no one wants to live in a world with a nuclear Iran, which has no morals concerning the selling of nuclear weapons to the highest bidder.”
Despite international criticism of Israel’s actions, Gillman said he was pleased that Israel and Egypt had been able to close their borders in Gaza, and suggested that smuggling of weapons through tunnels reduced.
Despite the bloodshed, Gillman said he remained hopeful.”This Gaza war may be the very thing that brings about two states….To the children of Gaza I wish the same as I do for my own which is to grow up and be taught love instead of the venom and poison of hate…”
He said he hopes the United States will continue to support Israel under the new administration of President-elect Barack Obama. [Current President] Bush is a great friend of Israel and we owe him much gratitude, and honor, we owe him a great debt,” he said. “Obama is just being respectful until he is president he will not speak for the current man in office, yet I’m confident Obama has great wisdom because the only ally the US has in the middle east is Israel…”