Chennai, May 17(BPNS)
The Consul General of Israel for South India Jonathan Zadka has said that the people of Israel are with the family of Soumya Santosh who was killed by a missile fired by Hamas terrorists inside Israeli territory while working as a care giver to an 83 year old holocaust survivor. The Israeli diplomat was speaking to BPNS in an exclusive telephonic interview
You had attended the funeral of Soumya Santosh, the Keralite woman who was killed in Israel in a missile attack by Hamas group
Yes, I have personally attended the funeral services of Soumya Santosh who was a caregiver to an 83 year old Israeli woman who is a holocaust survivor. I have represented the people of Israel and have expressed my condolences as a representative of the people of Israel. We are with the family of Soumya at this moment of grief, especially her nine year old son Adon.
Soumya was killed on the soil of Israel. Will there be compensation to her family.
We will treat the family of Soumya as a victim of a terror attack on foreign nationals and act accordingly.
There are reports that the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu is on a sticky wicket and hence these issues with the Hamas at Gaza.
I totally and out and out reject this argument. This is absolute rubbish. Israel is a democratic country and it’s a vibrant democracy for your information. The democratic process in our country is an ongoing process and it does not have anything to do with the Hamas terror attack. These terrorists have fired their missiles on the people of Israel and this , I can say categorically that any excuse Hamas uses for such a brutal attack against civilians is not acceptable and at the end of the day terror is terror and there is no way around it.
Do you find an Iran hand in the support of Hamas?
Yes of course, Iran is directly involved in abetting and aiding all the Hamas and Hezbollah terror operatives. The Iranians are the major supporter for these terror groups who are creating mischief in the soil of Israel ,firing missiles indiscriminately against Israel. The support base is definitely Iran which has proved before the international media that these people are directly supporting the Islamic Jihad organization Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Several Arab countries including the United Arab Emirates have decried the Hamas attack on Israel. Your comment
UAE is a great nation and they have condemned the attack against the people of Israel by the Hamas terrorists. We have been into several relationships with the UAE and they know what we are and how we respect people and countries. Hamas is a terror outfit and they are creating trouble for the people of Israel which cannot be tolerated at any cost. We value UAE and its responsible approach to the situation. We expect all those who oppose terror to condemn the attack against Israel.
The world at large is fighting against a major pandemic in Covid -19 and Israel was in the forefront to support India, can you explain us the support extended by your country to India
Yes of course we have pitched in with support to India. We have already sent three flights to India with necessary equipment. This includes three oxygen generator plants, thousands of oxygen generators and ventilators. These oxygen plants are already functional and the others will soon be functional. Other than this several NGO’s, Industrial groups and business houses of Israel have supported the people of India. I think we will be providing whatever we can to India in its fight against Covid.
