By Xinhua,
Bogota : Meron Reuben, the Israeli ambassador to Colombia, said Sunday that his country’s air strikes against Hamas are necessary despite an international outcry against the violence in the Gaza Strip.
“We discern between terrorists and Palestinian civilians. We know we are facing more than 15,000 armed terrorists, which makes the situation not easy, but we carefully discern between Hamas terrorists and the innocent people,” Reuben told local radio stations.
The Israeli operation began Dec. 27 with air strikes. The Israeli ground operation began Jan. 3. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed and 2,500 injured in the ongoing violence.
Reuben said Israel’s patience ended after being struck by rockets fired from inside the Gaza Strip.
At least 40 percent of the victims have been civilians, according to official reports.
Pope Benedict XVI urged the Israelis and Palestinians to stop the violence.
The Palestinian community in Colombia protested in front of the Israeli embassy in Bogota on Jan. 2, burning U.S. and Israeli flags and demanding peace for Palestinians.