Wednesday, January 7, 2009

'We need to be forced to negotiate'

Video: BBC interviews former Israeli air force captain:
... If he continues not to talk about the horrible crimes happening in my country now I don't see any change coming to the world... 

I risked my life for many years as a captain and leader of operations in the Israeli air force... I know from a very close distance the pain of the Israeli people as well as the Palestinian people. So no one can call me or the thousands of members of the anti-occupation movement in Israel that we are traitors. On the contrary, we are patriots. We want our people to continue to exist, and we see our leaders' actions as a self-destruction policy that puts in great danger the future of all of us...

As a former rescue pilot in the Israeli air force this is the most important rescue mission I can take upon myself to save the people here... And we all know that the situation in the Middle East affects the whole world... This kind of conflict can escalate to a world war...

We have to put massive pressure on the Israeli government for a cease fire right now. Right now we need a cease fire, we need to be forced to speak and negotiate with Hamas. We have no other legitimate action...

Don't forget we have the Arab Initiative. For many years by now the Arab Initiative says 'We offer complete peace and normalization if Israel withdraws to the 1967 borders.' My government ignores this request.