The war in Israel: international pressure and complexities in dialogue with El Comercio.

The critical state of the war has translated in recent weeks into a exponential increase in international pressure on Israel, reaching its peak on Wednesday 22 with three European countries announcing that they will recognize the Palestinian State next week, which angered the Hebrew nation, in the midst of a military offensive against Rafah in southern Gaza. In dialogue with El Comercio, Sharon Shaviv, Director of the South America Department of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, states that her country is facing a complex situation on several fronts, including the international arena, while condemning international actions that "benefit or reward terrorism." "We must protect ourselves and eliminate that threat," emphasizes the Israeli official, who arrived in Peru this week on an official visit. Israel is in a very complex situation. We have faced terrorism in its purest and most evil form, as seen in the video of the soldiers guarding the border between Israel and Gaza. Israel has had no control over the Gaza Strip since 2005, and in 2007 Hamas took control of the enclave. It is an independent entity. Unfortunately, they chose the path of terror. I would say that my heart also goes out to the Palestinians who have to live under this terrible terrorist organization. As we speak, missiles are being fired at cities and civilians in northern Israel. In the south, Israeli soldiers continue to try to fight against Hamas terrorists. Since the terrorist attack on October 7, the Israeli government understood that it has to work in two directions. The first is the military path to pressure the terrorists because there is no other way. They took more than 250 hostages, children, men, and women of all ages, torturing them. And it was their choice. They could have put an end to this terrible situation, but they decided not to. So the military path is mandatory. Unfortunately, it is the path they chose. The other path is, of course, negotiation. The first round of negotiations - in November and December last year - was successful and we were able to recover more than 100 hostages, but we still have 128 hostages. No one knows their fate, not even the Red Cross. And I believe the Israeli government has to continue working on both options. The path of negotiations must continue, and hopefully Hamas will finally decide to release these poor people. At the moment, everything is in Hamas' hands. Unfortunately, they still refuse to bring back our hostages. They still have their tunnels. We have villages on the border with Gaza. There are more than 120,000 Israelis refugees in their own country, Israelis who have not been living in their homes for almost eight months, afraid to return. We must protect ourselves and eliminate the threat of terrorism. Well, I would say it is an outrageous statement, especially because it seems like a reward for terrorism. To Hamas and terror. It tells us that Hamas' terror, which brutally attacked Israel, was successful. We have seen their atrocities, their violence against women, their cruelty. Is this the message from European countries like Spain, Ireland, or Norway? Would any of those countries like to endure such a situation? And to reward those who acted in such a way? I cannot deny that Israel is not currently in its best international situation. We face challenges on several fronts. We have challenges in the political, international, military, and legal arenas. But at the same time, we have allies who understand Israel's right to exist and defend itself and its own interests. In reality, it is not just Israel's interests, but those of the Western world, of free countries that have the right to self-defense and fight against terrorism. I believe this is in everyone's interest. Our main and most important ally is the United States, but definitely, even in Latin America, we have more allies who support us, and this is greatly appreciated. The relations between Israel and Latin America have changed since October 7 last year. Some countries are adopting a more critical view of Israel, while others stand by Israel. Overall, we are very pleased with the relations between Israel and Peru. Peru has condemned terrorist actions and Hamas and has called for the release of all hostages. Israel sends its condolences to Peru for our shared victims on October 7. There were three dual-citizenship citizens, Peruvian-Israelis, who were brutally murdered. And we have the Bibas family, made up of a mother, a father, and their two young children, Ophir and Kfir Bibas. They are grandchildren of a Peruvian citizen who is among the deceased. Our relationship with Latin America is important. When we talk about terrorism, we see that it mainly comes from Iran. On April 13, Iran attacked Israel with drones and missiles. I had to enter a safe room in my house with my children hoping that nothing would fall on us, just like millions of Israelis were threatened those days. Iran works directly against Israel, but also uses its proxies. We talk about Hezbollah from the north, the Houthis from Yemen, pro-Iranian militias from Iraq. We talk, of course, about Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and more. And unfortunately, some of these groups also operate here, in Latin America. So I believe we have a common interest in stopping the work of the Iranian regime against the free world. The request from Prosecutor Khan is outrageous. Putting the Israeli Prime Minister and Defense Minister on the same level as Hamas leaders... there are no words to express how outrageous that is. Israel is a democracy, a democratic country. We have free elections. Israel defends itself against terrorism. There are no words to express how shameful it is to put Netanyahu and Gallant on the same level as Hamas terrorists. This decision does not correspond to reality. Khan was supposed to come to Israel this week to see for himself what is happening in Israel. Instead of going to Israel, he canceled his visit and made this announcement, without even seeing the situation on the ground, without seeing the suffering in Israel. As Israelis, we have always been educated for peace and aspire to it. But peace has to come, first and foremost, without threats against Israel, without terrorism, and with sincere and open dialogue. When will be the right time to start those negotiations? I do not know, but it takes two to tango. At the moment, it seems like a very difficult option when there is terror and missiles are fired at Israel. It is a good question, no one can know how long it will last. Regarding humanitarian aid, it is important to say that Israel has been providing it and allowing many countries to bring it to Gaza. Today, between 400 and 500 trucks reach Gaza daily. But at the same time, we have witnessed how Hamas takes control of those shipments and does not allow the population to benefit from them. Hamas' terror still looms over the heads of Palestinians in Gaza. And at the same time, some of them also blocked the ability of those routes to reach Gaza from the Gazan side. Again, where is Hamas? They are the rulers of the Gaza Strip. Where are they for their population? The responsibility for this lies with Hamas. Israel is not responsible for Hamas' atrocities. Well, we are at war. It is very difficult. I wish it were easier and we had to fight against the military. But we are not fighting against military personnel. We are fighting against terrorists who use their own people as human shields. They fight from kindergartens. Our soldiers entered nurseries and saw missiles inside. How can you fight against them when they use their own people as shields? Israeli soldiers do everything possible to avoid those casualties. We deeply regret every life lost due to this war, but we must protect ourselves from terrorism. There is no other way. Israel does everything in its power to work in accordance with international humanitarian law. Netanyahu is the leader of Israel. In many ways, I would not like to be in his place these days. He is in a very complex situation. And yes, Israel is a democracy. And as in a vibrant democracy, there are different opinions and different pressures on various fronts. I know that our government has two objectives in this war. The first is to free the hostages, and the second is to end Hamas' terrorism. Netanyahu is following these objectives and I hope we achieve them soon.