Washington (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry appeared to criticize Israel in candid remarks caught on an open microphone between television interviews Sunday. Kerry was heard talking about Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza to a State Department official identified as Jonathan Finer just before appearing on the "Fox News Sunday" political talk show.

"I hope they don't think that's an invitation to go do more," Kerry says. "That better be the warning to them."

A frustrated Kerry then says: "It's a hell of a pinpoint operation, it's a hell of a pinpoint operation," in apparent frustration over the civilian toll in the Israeli operation.

When confronted over the remarks by Fox host Chris Wallace, Kerry reiterated Israel's right to self-defense.

"I think it's very, very difficult in these situations, obviously very difficult," Kerry said.

"You have people who've come out of tunnels. You have a right to go in and take out those tunnels. We completely support that. And we support Israel's right to defend itself against rockets that are continuing to come in. Hamas has started this process of rocketing, after Israel was trying to find the people who killed three young -- you know, one American kid, three young Israeli citizens. It's disgraceful," Kerry said.

"It’s tough to have this kind of operation. I reacted obviously in a way that ... anybody does with respect to young children and civilians.

"But war is tough, and I've said that publicly and I've said it again. We defend Israel's right to do what it is doing in order to get at those tunnels," Kerry said.

Kerry then urged Hamas to "step up and be reasonable and understand that you accept the cease-fire, you save lives."

http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-makes-mic-ga...-085610315.html

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Not that big of a gaffe if you ask me. His remarks after the supposed gaffe brought some relief to me. I haven't been hearing much support for Israel from these clowns. I'm not sure Kerry was actually speaking for Obama on this. It seems far too traditional. The moral equivalency of treating Hamas and Israel the same is the sham I'm used to. Negotiate with a terrorist entity whose primary goal is your death? Really? But that's our President.