Israel has lost moral superiority: Barak

HAMBURG: Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak warned in an interview released Wednesday that Israel has lost its "moral superiority" during the escalating conflict with the Palestinians.

"We have lost our moral superiority in the last few months," Barak told the German weekly magazine Stern in an interview released ahead of publication on Thursday.

"We cannot only be the stronger side. We must also be right."

Barak said a tarnished international image could diminish Israel's political power, adding that a military operation would not resolve its dispute with the Palestinians.

"(A military operation) can only be part of a more comprehensive policy. The other elements include the fight for unity among Jews and international legitimation for what we are doing."

He said it was not Israel's right to topple Yasser Arafat as leader of the Palestinians.