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Israeli ambassador Reuven Azar to CNN-News18’s Zakka Jacob: “The speedy response by PM Modi is testament of how we see common principles, ideology, and how we reject terrorism..”
Israeli ambassador Reuven Azar thanked India for support. (X)
Reacting to US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, Israeli ambassador Reuven Azar, in an exclusive conversation with CNN-News18’s Zakka Jacob, said he hoped that Hamas would accept it. He also thanked PM Narendra Modi for extending his support to the plan, saying India has a lot to offer in reconstruction of post-war Gaza.
“We don’t have assurances that Hamas will do that. But we have several new elements that we haven’t seen in the past. First of all, there is a clear plan and a vision not only for the future of Gaza, but for the future of the region and there is international consensus. For the first time, we are seeing Arab countries, Muslim countries, the international community, India and other players joining in this vision. It’s a realistic vision and there’s also a very clear alternative if Hamas does accept. We are hopeful that this common vision to end the war will create the necessary pressures needed in order for Hamas to accept it. Of course, we hope they do,” said Azar.
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He elaborated further. “Hamas thought that we are actually going to negotiate a situation in which they remain in Gaza. But we have been very clear from the outset following this atrocious attack on October 7 that not only do we want to see our hostages released, we want Hamas to relinquish power in the Gaza Strip,” he said.
“There are two ways of doing that, voluntarily and involuntarily. So we are grateful that President Trump has embraced that vision and that the world is embracing that vision. We saw it even before when the Arab League even stated that they see a future without Hamas in the Gaza. So, it’s either you do it militarily or you do it diplomatically. But the vision is very clear and this is what we are trying to achieve,” said Azar on the options ahead.
What if it doesn’t happen diplomatically?
“The prime minister of Israel has stated that and President Trump has stated that Israel will be free to continue the military operation and in those areas that are not yet released from Hamas rule, we will start implementing the vision. We are not going to wait anymore and for an outcome in which Hamas is going to agree. If they don’t agree, we’re going to start implementing the vision in the areas that are already under Israeli control and we’ll continue our military campaign until we get Hamas out of Gaza,” said Azar.
The military campaign
“We prefer a diplomatic outcome and see and the reason that why this war has been prolonged for so long is for two reasons. First of all, because we didn’t want to kill our hostages and second is because we didn’t want to kill Palestinians,” he said.
On Palestinians
“Palestinians have been suffering greatly as a result of this war. But Israel was very cautious. We only attacked military targets and the tragic loss of life is a result of the war. But it’s not the intention of Israel to obliterate the Gaza Strip, which we could have done. Instead of that, we used diplomacy and military pressure. So we hope that the military pressure that we use so far will be enough. We don’t want to continue this war and therefore we are glad that there is a plan on how to achieve that,” said the envoy.
On Modi’s support
Reacting to PM Modi’s support to the peace plan, Azar said, “We are very grateful for that. I think that the speedy response by Prime Minister Modi is a testament of how we see common principles and common ideology, how we reject terrorism, how we want to create a situation in which we not only achieve security but we achieve prosperity. This plan actually details how we are going to achieve prosperity because not only Israelis also Palestinians deserve to live in peace. The fact that India is supporting that gives me hope that we can succeed…”
On India’s role in post-war Gaza
“India has a lot to offer both in terms of their friendship with the Palestinians, both in terms of assistance in economic projects. India has been a contributor to multinational forces in our region…It can be construction, it can be other elements. It depends on how India is going to engage with the force that is going to be created there. It is too soon to tell. We have to first see to it that this plan is implemented and then we can of course negotiate,” Azar said.
“I think the sky’s is the limit in terms of what we can achieve if the situation gets stabilised on the security side,” he said.
On Muslim countries welcoming the peace plan
“We welcome any support from Arab and Muslim countries to the vision of achieving peace in a way that completely rejects terrorism. This is actually a good development. I think that as many countries in our region, your region acknowledge that terrorism is not a legitimate means and you have to get rid of terrorism in order to achieve stability…as many countries adopt that. It’s a good thing for us and it’s a good thing for you,” he said.
On Western countries recognising Palestinian statehood
“I think these countries have been detached from the process. We’ve been negotiating this and talking about this with our American friends for a whole year now since the Trump administration came to power…You could trace it back five years ago with the Trump plan for Israel-Palestinian peace,” he said.
About the Author
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
September 30, 2025, 16:04 IST
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