GEOFF BENNETT: One of the strongest condemnations of Israel's ongoing offensive in Gaza has come from its own former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who served from 2006 to 2009.

Last week, he wrote a scathing op-ed in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz with the headline: "Enough Is Enough.

Israel Is Committing War Crimes."

I spoke with him earlier today.

Ehud Olmert, welcome to the "News Hour"?

EHUD OLMERT, Former Israeli Prime Minister: Hi.

GEOFF BENNETT: I want to begin with the day's news.

The Israeli military said its forces opened fire this morning near crowds of Palestinians walking toward a new food distribution site in Southern Gaza more than two dozen people reportedly killed.

This is the third such incident in as many days.

What's your assessment of the way Israel is relying on this new Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to distribute food and assistance?

EHUD OLMERT: You know, I have to be honest with you.

I don't know.

It seems to be in real chaos, and it needs to be taken care of in a more effective manner.

And I hope it will.

I don't think that there was any purpose in just shooting the people because someone wanted to kill them.

But in the context of this chaos, it happens.

Unfortunately, it has to be changed in a much better way.

And this is incumbent upon us to do it, and I hope we will do it.

GEOFF BENNETT: On the matter of your op-ed, what prompted your shift from previously defending Israel's actions in Gaza to now condemning them as war crimes?

EHUD OLMERT: I absolutely supported the Israeli counteroffensive after the 7th of October, for obvious reasons.

All of the world supported Israel because this was inevitable and unavoidable.

However, it happened 20 months ago.

And since then, a lot have happened.

And the fact is that, after 20 months there is a growing understanding in Israel by many former leaders of the army, the Mossad, the Secret Service, the generals.

Almost everyone says that we have done everything that we can do in the military operation.

This is becoming like a private war of the prime minister trying to somehow escape from the possible ramifications of ending the war now because of political considerations.

When this happens, you have to ask, what is the right of the country, the government to send soldiers to risk their lives?

What is the basis for endangering the lives of the hostages?

And also what is the basis for possibly killing non-involved people around the Palestinians?

And I think that it is my responsibility, considering my background and the responsibilities I had for the state of Israel, to spell it out, so that there will be as many people across the world that will know that there are other voices in Israel, not just the messianic groups of thugs which support the government, but that the majority of the Israelis think that enough is enough.

We have to stop the war, we have to bring back all the hostages that we can, and we have to try and see how we can change the realities on ground, so that Hamas will be prohibited from any further control on Gaza, with the cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Jordan others, and hopefully in the near future also embarking on peace negotiations with Palestinians for a two-state solution.

GEOFF BENNETT: When you accuse the current government of committing war crimes, be specific.

What are the crimes as you see them?

EHUD OLMERT: Running a war which is widely perceived to be illegitimate and unacceptable and nothing that is compatible to the national security interests of the state of Israel, endangering the lives of so many Israeli hostages, is a crime, because in such action people are killed, Israeli soldiers, hostages, and Palestinian, non-involved Palestinians in Gaza.

When the government is anxious to carry on when this is the perception, I don't know in any other way to describe it.

GEOFF BENNETT: The U.S. under former President Biden, now under President Trump, has strongly supported Israel, supplying it with bombs and other military weapons.

Given your view that Israel has committed war crimes, do you believe the U.S. bears any responsibility or is in some way complicit?

EHUD OLMERT: No, what I said is that no, not in the past, certainly not at the time of President Biden, not even in the time, most of the time of President Trump, that what we are doing now amounts to a crime, which has to be prevented.

It's enough that I put responsibility on the Israeli government.

I don't think that the American government is responsible for all the mistakes that we are committing.

GEOFF BENNETT: As a lawyer, do you believe that Israel's actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide?

EHUD OLMERT: No, not at all.

No, listen, don't push it far too far.

There are serious mistakes and negligence and arrogance, which -- the outcome of which are many casualties which are unjustified and unnecessary.

And, therefore, I'm charging the Israeli government with responsibility for this, but there is not any policy, there has never been any policy by anyone in Israel.

Even this government, which I entirely oppose, but I never accuse them, will never accuse them without any basis of trying to accomplish genocide.

This is not what we are facing.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, how can Israel balance what are legitimate security concerns with the need to uphold humanitarian principles in a conflict zone?

I mean, what policies, what approach would you recommend?

EHUD OLMERT: Look, everything is difficult, everything is complex.

We have achieved almost everything that a military operation can achieve.

We have eliminated most of the leadership of Hamas.

We have destroyed most of the tunnels, the launchers of the rockets and the rockets and the command positions.

More than 55,000 Palestinians were killed.

Many of them were Hamas fighters, and they deserve being punished for what they did.

But there are so many who were not part of any terrorist organization.

So at this point now, if we end the war, we bring back the hostages as part of an agreement.

We will release also Palestinian prisoners, and we will be committed to pull out from Gaza at the time when the security force made of Palestinians, of the Egyptians, of Jordanians, perhaps of Emiratis, of Saudis will take over in order to prevent any resurrection of Hamas into a command position.

This is what we have to do.

And, of course, within that framework, the humanitarian needs of the two million people living in Gaza must be provided generously.

GEOFF BENNETT: You are the only former Israeli prime minister ever convicted in a criminal court.

How do you respond to critics who say that your legal record undermines your credibility to speak out against the current government?

And why do you believe you have not just the credibility, but the moral authority to critique the current leadership and their approach?

EHUD OLMERT: I'm almost certain, that I didn't have this moral authority, you wouldn't have invited me.

And most of the Israelis who are searching to hear my opinion and have asked me to express my opinion.

Whatever happened, which is something that we don't have the right time now to discuss, has nothing to do with my performance as prime minister, which was widely respected at the time.

And I think that, based on my experience and my record as prime minister in charge of Israeli security for many years, I think that I have not only the right, but the obligation to say what I say.

GEOFF BENNETT: How has your critique been received in Israel?

And do you believe there is a political will there to shift course right now?

EHUD OLMERT: Well, I guess that quite a large number of Israelis do not like what I say, for obvious reasons.

And there are quite a few, perhaps many, that entirely subscribe to what I say and sent their messages in support of what I say.

Whatever happened and what ever happens now is part of a broader problem and crisis that we are experiencing.

As you all know, it started with the judicial revolution the prime minister tried to implement, and the hundreds of thousands of Israelis now for more than a year-and-a-half are rioting and are demonstrating on a daily basis.

I think we are moving forward rapidly into a position where the government will not be able to carry on.

They will have to run for early elections.

Prime Minister Netanyahu cauterized the Israeli society in a manner which is unprecedented in our history.

That's why I called and I say that the Israeli government declared war on the state of Israel.

It is weakening the state of Israel, and also these policies of the government, and particularly the perception that the war now is not what is really needed for the national security interest of the state of Israel, is endangering the hostages which are still kept by the Hamas, 58 of them, this perception, I think, makes it more and more into an illegitimate campaign that must be stopped.

And I believe that the majority of the Israelis will take the necessary democratic measures in order to stop it.

GEOFF BENNETT: Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, thank you for your time this evening sir.

We appreciate it.

EHUD OLMERT: Thank you.