British Prime Minister David Cameron spoke in support of Israel's right to defend itself during its war with Hamas last summer. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Israel was right to defend itself against “indiscriminate” attacks by the Gaza- based terrorist group Hamas during last summer’s Operation Protective Edge, British Prime Minister David Cameron told the UK’s Jewish Chronicle in an interview published on Tuesday.

“As PM, putting yourself in the shoes of the Israeli people, who want peace but have to put up with these indiscriminate attacks – that reinforces to me the importance of standing by Israel and Israel’s right to defend itself,” the prime minister said. “I feel very strongly that this equivalence that sometimes people try to draw when these attacks take place is so completely wrong and unfair.”

Cameron said he believes it is “important to speak out” in support of Israel and about the nature of the “indiscriminate attacks” that the Jewish state suffers. He also referenced Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in noting that there was an “important difference” between Israel’s use of weapons to defend itself and Hamas’ use of people “to defend its weapons” during the war.

“Obviously we regret the loss of life wherever it takes place, but I do think there’s an important difference – as Prime Minister Netanyahu put it: Israel uses its weapons to defend its people and Hamas uses its people to defend its weapons,” Cameron said.

In another interview, published by The Atlantic this month, Cameron said there has been an “insidious, creeping attempt to delegitimize the state of Israel,” which he said often passes into the domain of antisemitism. He added that he would be “heartbroken” if Jews in Britain felt the urge to leave their homes because they did not feel safe.

The British prime minister in March pledged $14.7 million to protect Jewish sites in Britain following a slew of terror attacks in Europe. He said if the Jewish community in Britain does not feel secure then “the whole national fabric is diminished.”

Cameron is currently in the midst of a competitive campaign for reelection and has so far won a majority of the Jewish vote, according to polls.