Speaking at an event at Yale University in New Haven on Thursday night, where she was honored as a Chubb Fellow, the highest honor awarded by the university to foreigners for their work and inspiration, opposition leader Tzipi Livni criticized the UN fact-finding mission's report on Operation Cast Lead for drawing comparisons between IDF soldiers and terrorists, and told the audience of her support in the two-state solution.
"I will never accept the comparison between IDF solders and terrorism, just as you would never compare murder and accidental killing," Livni said of the Goldstone report. She added that the IDF is a moral army, and that Israeli soldiers endanger themselves on a daily basis in order to avoid harming civilians. While she stressed that the pain of a mother over the death of her children could not be underestimated, Livni said that is was important to distinguish between those who aim to murder children in their homes and those who unintentionally harm civilians who are used by terrorists as human shields. Every judgment of Israel that overlooks these differences and draws these comparisons is wrong, misleading and holds a double standard, Livni emphasized.
On the Middle East peace process, Livni said that achieving a comprehensive peace agreement with the Palestinians was a central goal for Israel and expressed support in the two-state solution. Israel is not engaging in peace negotiations in order to placate the US or the Arab world, but rather because peace is an interest for anyone who wants to maintain the Jewish nature of the state, she explained.
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