03:29
Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, speaking with CNN correspondent Anderson Cooper, says Israel is “trying to reach a resolution to this conflict” that includes an end to rocket fire on Israel and that creates a “new situation” in which arms from Iran are no longer smuggled into Gaza.

Asked whether there is a military solution to the conflict, Oren responds that the solution is ultimately for Hamas to accept Israel as a “permanent, legitimate” presence in the Middle East. He also said that Israel was willing to sit down with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas “tonight” to resume negotiations for peace.

Regarding the suggestion that Hamas will be strengthened by its confrontation with Israel, Oren answers that Hamas has suffered heavy blows, and that Israel has already carried out 10 times as many strikes against the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza as it did four years ago, in Operation Cast Lead.

[link to www.timesofisrael.com]