Israel acts fully in accordance with international law and does everything to reduce the number of civilian casualties in the war against Hamas in Gaza, claims Jahel Vilan, the non-resident ambassador of Israel in Montenegro. He also said that the army will not launch a ground offensive in Rafah before ensuring the evacuation of civilians. Vilan could not estimate when the war, which according to Gaza health authorities, has killed more than 30.000 Palestinians, might end.
Asked what the political situation is in Israel considering that not everyone supports the actions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Vilan said it is too early to assess to what extent October 7 and the war will affect the shaping of the political map in that country after it ends.
"I can assume that it will have a huge impact," said Vilan in an interview with "Vijesti".
“The horrific terrorist attack of October 7th is the worst attack on Israeli citizens on our soil since the War of Independence in 1948. It was of such a scale that it has affected and will continue to affect all aspects of our lives in the long run. First of all, in the field of security, but also economy, society and politics. With that in mind, I think it is important to note that the public supports the war itself and its two main goals, as declared by the government: the release of the hostages and the elimination of Hamas as a military and political force”.
Hamas militants killed 1.200 people, mostly civilians, in an attack on communities in southern Israel on October 253 and took 130 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Hamas and other militants are still holding about XNUMX hostages.
Regarding Netanyahu's promise of a "complete" victory against Hamas, Vilan said that it is certainly possible "from a purely military point of view." "Every day progress is being made in this direction, but it would probably take a lot of time," he added.
When asked by "Vijesta" whether he is afraid that the huge number of civilian victims and the destruction of the Gaza Strip will produce a new generation of extremists, the ambassador asserted that Israel acts fully in accordance with international law and is doing everything to reduce the number of victims who do not take part in combat actions.
"Unfortunately, unlike 'standard' wars in which each side has an interest in protecting its own citizens, we are fighting a terrorist organization that not only directs fire at our civilians, but is also 'happy' to sacrifice the citizens of Gaza using them as living shields and hiding their terrorists underground. Therefore, it is Hamas that bears the responsibility for all these victims”.
The Israeli military offensive leveled most of the densely populated enclave, displaced almost its entire population, and according to the United Nations, at least 576.000 people in the enclave are on the brink of starvation.
Israel has threatened to attack Rafah, a city on the southern edge of Gaza, where more than half of its 2,3 million residents have taken refuge, with most staying in tents and other temporary shelters.
When asked if the Israeli army has a strategy to avoid civilian casualties in Rafah if it launches a ground invasion, Vilan replied:
"Absolutely 'yes', which has been proven during the previous fights. Israel makes every effort to avoid civilian casualties as much as possible and is actually more successful than any other military in history that has engaged in this type of conflict where the other side uses its own citizens as live targets in densely populated areas. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will not operate in Rafah before ensuring the evacuation of the civilian population, in full compliance with international law, as was done in the north of the Gaza Strip and in Khan Yunis”.
The Israeli ambassador expressed hope that the Palestinian people, with the help of the international community led by moderate Arab countries, would find ways to establish a leadership that would focus solely on the welfare of its citizens.
The Israeli ambassador could not predict when the war might end.
“The war could end tomorrow morning if Hamas decides to do the right thing for the people of Gaza: release all the hostages and surrender. Since that, unfortunately, is not realistic to expect from a murderous and immoral terrorist organization, it will take some time, the length of which I cannot estimate at the moment".
Commenting "the day after" in Gaza, Wilan said that the enclave should not be ruled by the state of Israel, "which unilaterally left there 19 years ago, with no intention of returning, and obviously not by Hamas or any other murderous terrorist organization, whose aim is to eliminate the state of Israel".
He expressed hope that the Palestinian people, with the help of the international community led by moderate Arab countries, will find a way to establish a leadership that would focus "exclusively on the welfare of its citizens and not on the destruction of the state of Israel."
"News" asked the ambassador why Israel opposes any agreement that includes a permanent ceasefire or a Palestinian state, despite international pressure.
He said that Israel is not opposed to the idea in principle, stating that Israel has not violated the previous agreement at the end of November.
"Cease-fire must be part of the goals of this war, with the primary one being the complete release of all abductees. As for the second objective, Hamas openly stated on the very day of October 7th that it would repeat it again and again. So whoever advocates for some kind of immediate unconditional ceasefire, without eliminating the military and political power of Hamas, is essentially setting the stage for another barbaric massacre, which will then result in another Israeli offensive on Gaza”.
Vilan assessed that the question of the Palestinian state should not be addressed to the Israelis, but to the Palestinians.
“Until now, no Palestinian leader has been willing to condemn the massacre of Israeli civilians, while public opinion polls show overwhelming Palestinian support for the killings by Hamas. Moreover, they and their supporters march in the streets around the world with the slogan 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free', meaning one state, not two between the river and the sea. Both they and Hamas believe in the idea of a Palestinian state instead of the state of Israel, not alongside it. So, as long as this vision of a Palestinian state means the destruction of the state of Israel and its people, I see no point in you asking me what I think about it, any more than you would ask a man on the gallows what he thinks about the nature of his executioner."
Commenting on South Africa's action against Israel at the International Court of Justice, Jahel Vilan said there was no legal basis for South Africa's "baseless and shameful" accusations.
"This was unequivocally proven in court, which completely rejected the accusations and called on Israel to do what it has been doing since the first day - to behave in accordance with international law."
Israel on Monday submitted a report to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on measures taken to comply with an interim ruling calling on it to prevent war actions in Gaza that could amount to genocide, an Israeli official said. He did not provide details on the content of the report, which was submitted hours before the deadline.
The United Nations General Court last month ordered Israel to refrain from any actions that could fall under the Genocide Convention and to ensure that its troops do not commit genocidal acts against Palestinians, which South Africa has accused Israel of.
"A month after the ICJ ordered 'immediate and effective measures' to protect Palestinians in occupied Gaza from the risk of genocide by providing sufficient humanitarian aid and basic services, Israel has not taken even minimal steps to comply," it said on Monday. organization Amnesty International.
The head of the UN for human rights, Volker Turk, said yesterday that all parties in the conflict between Israel and Hamas committed war crimes and called for them to be investigated and for the perpetrators to be held accountable.
Relations with Montenegro "excellent"
Vilan expressed satisfaction with the reactions in Montenegro regarding the war between Israel and Hamas.
Describing the Hamas attack as an "unprecedented and unprovoked act", the ambassador said Israel's expectation from all friends around the world was "unequivocal condemnation of the October 7 massacre and full support for our right to protect our citizens".
"The friendly government and the people of Montenegro fully met these expectations," Vilan said.
He described the relations between Montenegro and Israel as "excellent".
"I am very happy that in the last two years, Montenegro has become one of the main tourist destinations for Israelis, who arrive here thanks to direct flights, and then become great 'ambassadors' of Montenegro," said the ambassador. He added that there is significant potential in improving all other business and economic ties between the two countries.
Vilan announced in the "near future" the opening of a monument commemorating Montenegro's contribution to the "Velveta" operation at the Kapino Polje airport near Nikšić. This, as he said, will remind the public in both countries of decades of friendly relations.
The ambassador said that in terms of investments, BIG CEE and other companies are very happy to invest in Montenegro and plan to expand their activities.
Bonus video:
