New Delhi, July 4: Tel Aviv’s ambassador to India David Danieli has locked horns with the CPI over its criticism of the recent raids in Gaza by Israeli troops.

The envoy has shot off a letter to 10 MPs of the party, saying his country was a victim of terrorism.

The CPI members, led by Gurudas Dasgupta, had written to the envoy, condemning the recent round of violence in Gaza and demanded that Israel pull out of the Gaza Strip.

Danieli responded by pointing to the “acts of cross-border terrorism against (the) sovereign state of Israel”, adding: “Israel exercises its legitimate right to self-defence in a cautious and a calculated manner.”

The ambassador’s letter, made public, also said Hamas claims political privileges and immunities of an elected government without accepting the responsibilities that go with it. “First and foremost among these responsibilities is to bring an end to terror and violence, which has characterised its relations with Israel and also within the Palestinian arena for many years,” he wrote.