Date:02/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/02/stories/2009010260031000.htm

National

“Israel open to international mediation”

Sandeep Dikshit

NEW DELHI: Even as political parties in the country are protesting the ongoing aerial bombing of the Gaza Strip, Israeli Ambassador Mark Sofer has maintained that Tel Aviv is open to international mediation to ensure that the ultimate goal of its military assault is met.

“We want to ensure there are no more rocket attacks on our country allegedly by supporters of the Hamas organisation,” he told The Hindu here on Thursday.

“Uppermost in our minds is that there would be no return to status quo ante. The equation has to change. There should be no constant barrage of rockets. It is not an easy situation. They were abrogating the [Egypt-brokered] truce everyday. Which country would tolerate indiscriminate firing of rockets on its citizens every day?”

Justifying the military assault, in which over 500 bombing runs were made by Israeli Air Force fighter planes backed by helicopters, Mr. Sofer said Tel Aviv was unable to continue with a situation where five lakh citizens constantly lived under the threat of rockets being fired from the Gaza Strip.

Tel Aviv considers the international response, including from the Arab governments, to the military strikes “understandable.”

“We tried the Egyptian brokered truce, worked through friendly government and finally we had an economic package. Enough is enough. Our primary obligation is to defend our citizens. Israel is no different from anyone else,” Mr. Sofer said.

For a durable solution

He said Israel was open to working with the global community, especially France, Turkey, Qatar and Egypt, for a durable solution in which there would be no uncalled for violence against its people.