In a 40-minute interview recorded on Monday, October 16, Israel’s former deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon – who also served as the country’s ambassador to Washington – responds to all the tough questions about his country’s response to the Hamas attack.Here is the list of the questions asked.1) I want to start with a few questions that are being asked in India and get your response to them. There’s no doubt what Hamas has done is horrendous, deeply condemnable and completely unforgivable. But in response by cutting off electricity, fuel and food and only restoring water to southern Gaza yesterday evening – and not even permitting Egypt to send in supplies – Israel is inflicting collective punishment on all the people of Gaza when the vast majority are innocent civilians. How is this justified?2) You’ve also ordered 1.1 million people in Gaza north of Wadi Gaza to move south and initially gave them 24 hours to do so which has now stretched to 36 or 48 hours. Not only is that close to impossible to comply with when there is no fuel and people have to walk but what about the elderly and those in hospitals who can’t leave? And where do they stay in the south? You’re effectively making them refugees in their own country3) The Israeli army has announced it will attack Gaza by land, sea and air and it’s believed that could happen quite soon. How confident are you that you can obliterate Hamas and its infrastructure much of which is hidden in a labyrinth of tunnels?4) Are you worried that the measures you’re taking may succeed in tackling the problem you face but they will also lead to enormous and long-lasting grievance and hurt amongst the Palestinian people? They see what’s happening as a second Nakba. This could motivate many to seek revenge and create a far bigger future problem for Israel.5) It seems President Isaac Herzog doesn’t accept any distinction between civilians in Gaza and Hamas. He said: “It is an entire nation out there that is responsible. It’s not true this rhetoric about civilians not being aware, not involved. It’s absolutely not true. They could have risen up. They could have fought against that evil regime which took over Gaza in a coup d’état.” Does that suggest Israel is out to obliterate not just Hamas but the entire Palestine population of Gaza?6) Last week Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “We’ll change the Middle East forever.” Defence minister Yoav Gallant said Gaza will never go back to what it was. Was that just angry rhetoric in the heat of the moment? Because if they meant it and try to implement it won’t you provoke Hezbollah and Iran to enter the conflict? In fact, this could also have serious repercussions in Riyadh.7) Last week whilst addressing Jewish leaders in Washington, US President Joe Biden said Israel must observe the rules of war. Separately US secretary of state Antony Blinken, whilst standing beside Prime Minister Netanyahu, said Israel must avoid killing innocent civilians. Do you accept these were gentle warnings not to do something your friends would find difficult to defend or even ignore?8) Let’s briefly widen our discussion. In the last few years before the Hamas attack, the Abraham Accords were drawing Israel closer to many of the Arab and Muslim countries of the Middle East. You were even poised to sign a path-breaking deal with Saudi Arabia. Now Riyadh has said that the deal is on pause but has the wider rapprochement also been checked and stalled?9) As we speak, King Abdullah of Jordan is in Europe to try to stop a war in Gaza. Secretary Blinken has visited many Arab capitals over the last few days. Even the Russian deputy foreign minister says he will meet with Hamas officials in Qatar this week. From Israel’s point of view, if this diplomacy can produce an agreement to exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, could that restrain your hand?Are you prepared to attack Gaza even at at the risk of your hostages being killed?10) Finally, how do you view the Indian government’s stand? For the first few days, it was expressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tweets expressing solidarity with Israel and stating India stands firmly behind Israel. He also called the Hamas attack terrorism. But on Friday, the foreign ministry modified that by adding India advocates the resumption of “direct negotiations” for a “sovereign, independent and viable state of Palestine”, adding there is “a universal obligation to observe international humanitarian law”. How do you view that change in the Indian position?11) My last question: Prime Minister Netanyahu doesn’t accept a two-nation solution. But how do you respond to the view that a two-nation solution – which probably would involve dismantling many Israeli settlements in the West Bank and accepting East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital – is the most likely way of resolving this problem that’s lasted nearly 75 years?12) Netanyahu’s future: Is the end in sight?