Gideon Levy interviewed for the Jewish Chronicle
Simon Round has profiled Gideon Levy for the Jewish Chronicle in an interesting interview in which Levy questions what it means to be an Israeli patriot.
Levy would rather describe himself as an Israeli patriot. So what is his take on Operation Cast Lead? Was Israel supposed to stand by idly as Kassam rockets rained down on the town of Sderot?
Levy, casually dressed and relaxed in the lobby of his central London hotel, ponders the question. "Hamas is to be blamed for launching the Kassams. This is unbearable. No sovereign state would have tolerated it. Israel had the right to react. But the first question you have to ask yourselves is why Hamas launched the missiles. Before criticising Hamas I would rather criticise my own government which carries a much bigger responsibility for the occupation and conditions in Gaza. Hamas is a fundamentalist organisation and for sure it is not my cup of tea, but I'm an Israeli and I care first about our behaviour in Gaza. And our behaviour was unacceptable."
Visit the Jewish Chronicle to read the full interview.