PM Olmert tells off the Brits

Read the transcript of a press conference where Olmert told off (below in RED) the Brits when they asked him about blowing up the Electric Power Station in Gaza. Right on. You tell them.

Matt Matski: Matt Matski of Finland. On entering southern Gaza, Israel air force was bombing a power station which was the power station in Gaza which in turn risked to create problems with the water supply, sanitation, health, their health risks and so on. Was this action okayed beforehand by on the political level and if so, what purpose did it serve in attaining those goals that you were talking about and what consequences do you think that this will have in making Gaza more dependent on Israel in the future for their electricity supply and so on?

PM Olmert: I want to remind you that Gaza is entirely dependent on Israel for the supply of water and electricity and that we continue to supply Gaza water and electricity. I am not aware that any of the very friendly nations to the Palestinians offered the Palestinians to supply them with this basic commodities which are essential for the quality of life of the people in Gaza or in the West Bank. Israel is the only country which is doing it, at a very fair cost. And the reason we are doing it is because we care for the population and we don’t want to punish the population in either Gaza or the West Bank. The measures that were taken in this military operation were taken for the sole purpose, or purposes which I have outlined to you before. One is to make the possible release of Corporal Shalit a reality and the other is to try and stop the Kassam missile shooting at Israeli civilians. The measures including the damage to the power stations was part of an effort to have a more effective control on the crossings and on the movements because we were afraid that the Israeli corporal will be smuggled out of Gaza and that once he will not be in this controlled area, he might be lost entirely. And some of the measures that were taken, were taken for that purpose. All was approved by the political leadership. Not only this operation, every operation is approved by the political leadership. We are not military experts. Of course we get the advice from the military on what do they need to do in order to achieve the goals that the government set for them, but it is always, it needs, it requires the approval of the political leadership without which the army doesn’t act.

Daniel Seaman: On the right, Simon, please.

Simon Wilson: Simon Wilson from BBC News. Mr. Prime Minister, two points, just to pick up from my colleague and if you’ll permit me to put it in a slightly different fashion, but perhaps a bit more directly. The bombing of the power station…

PM Olmert: Do you think that the question before was indirect?

Simon Wilson: Allow me to put a direct BBC question.

PM Olmert: I see.

Simon Wilson: The bombing of the power station and other measures such as the use of sonic booms to disrupt the lives of Palestinians in Gaza have led to charges that Israel is or may be guilty of war crimes in this operation. I’d like to ask you how you respond to that and secondly, I would like to ask you a personal question which is how are you coping with this crisis without your mentor, Ariel Sharon?

PM Olmert: As for the first question, tell me do you think your country would have supplied electricity for a state which is shooting at Great Britain one thousand missiles? In return for the generosity of shooting at you a thousand missiles, you would have supplied them with electricity and if you cut the supply about one third – it’s not that there is no supply of electricity by Israel. There is still most of the, all of the electricity of Gaza is supplied by Israel and 70% of the population still have supply of electricity. All is provided by Israel, in spite of the shooting. There was in the past sometimes a flexible definition of war crimes, particularly by some biased unprincipled and unfair people, so I’m not responsible for the definition of these actions outside of their context, but every person with a reasonable moral principle would have first to answer the question what do you say to people that are continuously threatened by the shooting of missiles, what do they have to do in order to defend their own lives and the lives of their children?