H.E. Mr. Boaz Modai:

No. The only thing is that we expose people who show ignorance, who show a one-sided approach and sometimes who show anti-Semitism, because that phenomenon also exists. We take this liberty we have, since we run the networks of the embassy, and we put things forward. The Senator referred to the radio interview given by the deputy ambassador to Israeli radio, which someone mentioned earlier. I think it was mistranslated deliberately by people who speak Hebrew in this country, and they want the message to be conveyed as it was said. However, let us leave that aside. I do not think it is right.

Regarding Senator Mullins's comments about a disproportionate reaction by Israel, I must tell him something. On the first day, 8 July, I was invited on RTE television to give an interview. In the course of that first interview, I was accused, on behalf of my country and army, of using excessive and disproportionate force. In my opinion, the use of "disproportionate" on the first day of a battle that had just started simply showed a tendency of the interviewer, but that does not matter. The other question I would ask the Senator is this: what would he consider to be proportionate? Let us presume that almost 4,500 rockets were launched towards Israel indiscriminately. Were Israel to retaliate by responding in the same way, by launching 4,500 missiles indiscriminately towards Gaza, would that have been a proportionate use of force? I am sure members are aware that the results would have been much worse than the large number of casualties in Gaza anyway. The results were terrible because, as was mentioned more than once, the terrorists were using civilians as human shields. They were shooting from within them and there were many cases in which we asked and advised people to leave the places in which they were and take shelter. However, Hamas people told them clearly that they should remain where they were, as this was Israeli propaganda. Ten, if not more, operations by the Israeli air force were cancelled at the last minute when the pilots spotted civilians on the ground.

These things happened. I know that often the media here, even though we send them the information, do not ensure it arrives to every person who follows them, but that was the situation.

I am not saying I want it to take a long time. On the contrary, as I said, if we could get agreement with the Palestinians tomorrow morning, we would be the first to applaud. I am only saying it might take more time than we would wish. I am sure Ambassador Abdelrazek and I would like to see it in our lifetimes and I hope we will be that fortunate. Actually there was somebody in this room who told the Palestinian ambassador that he had no hope and to call it off because the Israelis were not serious. I am not trying to say the same about the Palestinians. I believe there are many among them who want real peace with us, which we will achieve it because of this.

I was asked if Israel would allow goods to get into Gaza. That is a tough question, but we allow it. I mentioned the figures - the committee has them in my paper - for the amount of trucks that travel into Gaza on a daily basis. I remind the committee that there were times when we were convinced by the international community to let cement into Gaza. Much of it was used to build the terror tunnels under Gaza. Not many people know that there are two Gazas - one above ground and the other underground, with hundreds of tunnels. We discovered 30 tunnels that were directed towards Israel - they passed under the border to Israeli villages - and ensured they were destroyed, but there are still a lot of others. Only this morning, I read that there was a terrorist action against Egyptian forces from a tunnel running from Rafah, from the Gaza district. We have to be very careful with the goods we allow people to bring into Gaza. We let a lot in, but we have to monitor them. We will not make the same mistake again.