For Obama and Netanyahu: 2009, a Year of Regional Hopes & Challenges
May 22, 2009 at 4:12 pm | In Integration, Peace Process, Security | Leave a CommentAny day when the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Israel work together is a great day, an example of the strong working relationship our two great countries share. The recent meeting was the second for President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu, the two having previously met as candidates for their respective offices. That meeting was a great success and we in Israel look forward to working with President Obama, as our new government comes together with the new American administration.
While this meeting was important, we know that Israel and the United States have a friendship that’s bigger than any single leader or government interest. Our two countries are bonded in every home and on every street corner, a relationship built on the shared grassroots values of everyday Americans and Israelis. The bedrocks of our open societies are our democratic ideals: voting rights, freedom of religion, minority rights, the rule of law, and individual liberty.
Our two countries have a common vision for the future, one that will allow us to create a lasting peace. To that end, Prime Minister Netanyahu has continued our country’s intensive peace negotiations. His commitment comes in spite of the Palestinians’ current state of division. The Palestinian leadership is severed in two, each side unwilling to work with the other. Dialog cannot advance unless we can have a unified partner open to peace and dialog. Yet in the face of these complications, our government has vowed to respect all of Israel’s obligations with the Palestinian people.
There can be no peace, however, while the Iranian specter looms over the region and attempts to taint every effort our countries make. Iran’s policies and rhetoric have no place in the modern civilized world. As the Prime Minister recently remarked, “it is inconceivable that, at the beginning of the 21st century, a country has said it is going to eradicate the Jewish state.”
Israel, the United States, and our Arab neighbors agree: Iran and its nuclear ambitions are a threat that we all must face. Tehran’s Hamas fighters have taken Gaza hostage, its Hezbollah proxies have undermined Lebanese democracy and independence, and its allies in Iraq have waged a bloody war against the Iraqi people and American forces since Saddam fell in 2003.
The meeting in Washington was likely the first of many and we can all expect the President and the Prime Minister to work closely over the coming years. These discussions serve to remind us of our commonalities. When you look past the headlines we are both merely freedom loving immigrant societies, countries built by the hard work of those seeking a better and peaceful life for their children and grandchildren.
I had the privilege to work along side Prime Minister Netanyahu while he served as Deputy Foreign Minister and as Prime Minister in his first government. I have experienced first-hand his many close personal relationships with leaders from all walks of American life and I know his deep commitment to strengthen the great alliance between Israel and the United States. I am confident will face our threats together and accomplish our common goals for peace.
Article originally appeared in the Atlanta Jewish Times on May 22, 2009
Consul General is an Arab Who Represents Israel Well
December 29, 2008 at 9:58 pm | In Integration, Peace Process, Security | Leave a CommentFrom the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By John Christensen
Wherever Reda Mansour goes, the rumor spreads quickly. It happened in San Francisco, in Quito, Ecuador, in Lisbon, and in Atlanta when he arrived two years ago as the Israeli consul general.
Within days, virtually everyone in the Jewish community knew that Mansour was not a Jew. Indeed, not only was he not a Jew, he was an Arab and a Muslim. And as anomalies go, that was just for openers.
Consider:
> He is also a Druse, a sect which broke away from mainstream Islam 1,000 years ago and has often been persecuted by other Muslims since.
> Although he champions the interests of a nation notable for its aggressive self-defense, he is also an award-winning poet who mourns violence, hatred and death.
> Although Arabic is his first language — he speaks five in all — he writes poetry in Hebrew.
> Although the proud descendant of a clan of farmer/warriors — and a combat veteran himself — he is first and foremost a peacemaker.
On a recent morning, Mansour relaxed in an easy chair in his bright corner office in Midtown. On his desk, two neatly stacked piles of paper awaited his attention. Balanced atop one stack was an indispensable tool of the career diplomat: a TV remote. The silenced television, nestled into a bookcase in the corner, flicked monotonously through the day’s affairs.
Mansour is of medium height with salt-and-pepper hair, dark soulful eyes and, at least in initial encounters, a detached watchfulness. He wore black slacks, a blue-and-white stripe shirt with a blue-and-yellow rep tie, and spoke in soft, accented English.
A consul general — Israel has nine in the United States and an ambassador in Washington — promotes cooperation between his country and local business, academic and cultural interests.
There are about 40 Israeli companies doing business in the Southeast, according to Jorge Fernandez, vice president for global commerce at the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and Mansour is “very much involved in making sure that Atlanta is in the forefront of Israeli investments in the U.S. He is very approachable and very knowledgeable.”
Of particular concern to many, however, is how Mansour is regarded by the Jewish community.
‘We think he’s just terrific’
“Outstanding,” says Steven A. Rakitt, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, “just outstanding. Ambassador Mansour is one of the most thoughtful, passionate and eloquent representatives of the state of Israel that I’ve ever met. He’s respected, appreciated and admired. We’re thrilled to have him in Atlanta.” Mansour, who is referred to as ambassador due to his position in Ecuador, was appointed in 1990 as the first non-Jewish career diplomat. “But a lot of people still don’t know,” he says. “It’s a very exceptional thing.”
He shrugs. “The Jewish community needs to deal with this idea, and the vast majority accept it very well. They have learned very quickly how important it is for them, and how there is added value in having a representative who is not Jewish or maybe Jewish but from other groups in the country.
“I don’t think there’s any other country in the world other than America with as diversified a population as Israel. We have people from maybe 70 different countries.”
Tom Glaser, president of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce, says Mansour “has been totally accepted by the Jewish community. He is one of the brightest, most thoughtful and intelligent consul generals we’ve had. He’s authentic, he’s loyal, he makes a very good impression, he’s a quick study and he’s very cooperative. He’s a great representative of the state of Israel, and we think he’s just terrific.”
In Israel, Mansour says, acceptance is immediate when people realize he is Druse.
“My name is Arab, so it’s not hard to know this is not a Jewish person,” Mansour says. “But the Druse have recognition within the state of Israel because of their military service. We are the only non-Jewish minority that is drafted into the military, and we have an even higher percentage in the combat units and as officers than the Jewish members themselves. So we are considered a very nationalistic, patriotic community.”
Druse identity is a matter of enormous pride and not, Mansour says proudly, something one converts to: “You must be born a Druse.”
Mansour grew up in Isfiya, a Druse town of 12,000 in the Carmel Mountains near the industrial coastal city of Haifa. Isfiya is dominated by a few clans, including the Mansours.
“There are about 1,500 of us, and we’re all related.” He adds with a wry smile, “Weddings are very big events in our town.”
His father was a banker in Haifa and sent his three children to private schools. As a teenager, Mansour went to summer camps in the United States and Canada and involved himself in groups promoting dialogue between Arabs and Jews.
“It’s important to keep your traditions, but at the same time, it’s very dangerous to live in a world where you don’t have daily interaction within groups,” he says. “Because then each one develops its own images and conceptions, especially in rough times. And these misunderstandings can easily drift into violence.
“So I felt always the need, wherever I was, from primary school to now, to always be involved in ongoing dialogues with various groups.”
He credits his grandfather for this perspective. Akram Mansour’s graphic stories about Arab attacks on Isfiya and other Druse communities in the 1930s “were terrifying, horrible,” says Mansour. “I think that affected me, the need to prevent this from happening again.”
A diplomat’s poetic side
It was also as a teenager — he was 16 — that one of Reda Mansour’s poems was published in a national newspaper. Five years later, he published his first book of poetry, called “The Dreamer.”
The inspiration to write, he says, comes from “the mountains of the Carmel where I grew up. It’s probably one of the most beautiful places in the world. The scenery can’t help but leave you with some feeling that you need to produce some form of art.”
But he never knows when the muse will strike, and over the years has composed on envelopes, scraps of paper, even ammunition boxes.
He has also integrated poetry into his diplomatic life. He read two of his poems at a memorial service for the Holocaust in Atlanta last year, gave a reading this spring at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C., and is to give another this fall in Chattanooga.
His most recent book, “Tender Leaves of Conscience,” synthesizes observations about New England weather (he has a master’s degree from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University) with his experience in Lisbon and the discovery of mass graves in Bosnia.
The point, he says, was to affirm “how people can continue after these vicious discoveries.”
Mansour will return to Israel when his assignment here ends in 2010. Although unclear about his next posting, he has no doubt as to his mission: “Bringing Arabs and Jews together, and telling people that in my own story maybe I embody the solution for the future. That political solutions can be found when people want to live together.”
THE DRUSE AND THEIR ROLE IN ISRAEL
There are an estimated 1 million Druse around the world, most of them in Syria, Lebanon and Israel (which has an estimated 120,000).
The Druse began as a reformist movement within Islam and called themselves al-Muwahhidun, which means “the Unitarians.” But when their ideas were rejected, the Druse were regarded as heretics — a crime punishable by death — and they retreated to the mountains.
They built villages that could be easily defended and developed a system of smoke signals that enabled any village to summon help when attacked.
“They could pass fire signals all the way from the Carmel [Mountains] in Israel to the Syrian mountains in a matter of hours,” says Israeli Consul General Reda Mansour.
Their reputation as fierce fighters was enhanced by a bond called brit damim (covenant of blood), which developed between Druse and Israeli soldiers during the Arab-Israeli War of 1948.
There is now a Druse general in the Israeli army, Druse in the intelligence service and ten Druse in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — including the deputy foreign minister.
Israel a Leader in Humanitarian Relief
November 3, 2008 at 5:49 pm | In Economics, Peace Process | 1 CommentDemocratic governments tend to take on the characteristics of their citizens. Israel is no exception. Israelis wake up every morning and strive to better the world around them. This is probably why Israel is one of today’s global leaders for technological innovation. Israeli scientists, inventors, and researchers have created new medical treatments, developed ecologically sustainable ways to harness the Earth’s scarce resources, and produced new methods of communication to better connect the peoples of world.
The Israeli government takes pride in the accomplishments of its people, and for years has echoed their selfless example by taking a global lead in delivering humanitarian aid and relief. For the last 60 years the freest country in the Middle East has traveled the world to alleviate human suffering. Israel is home to the Center for International Cooperation (MASHAV), a part of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs founded in 1958. The organization trains local medical teams, provides aid, and builds advanced facilities around the globe.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has shared its knowledge and trained over 250,000 local health care providers, scientists, engineers, and aid workers. Israel’s support and resources have been sent to over 130 countries. Following the May, 2008 earthquake in China’s Sichuan Province, Israel shipped well over $1.5 million in relief equipment to those affected by the disaster. The shipments included blankets, sleeping bags, medial equipment, and water purification systems. Our country is also working with China to establish a water supply and purification plant in the area.
In Africa, Israel has expanded its medical centers and efforts to combat blindness and aid amputees. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has worked closely with the United Nations and the World Health Organization to treat refuges from Darfur and other war torn regions on the continent. In the last year alone more than ten African countries have received Israeli aid, including Kenya, the Ivory Cost, Eritrea, and the Central African Republic, among others.
Israel is also working to combat Africa’s high infant mortality rate. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently setting up two advanced neonatology units in Ghana. One of the units has already come online and Israeli doctors and medical experts are working hard to train Ghana’s health professionals to save the lives of countless children.
Israel has also supported its close friend and ally, the United States. In 1996, Israeli relief workers were some of the first on the scene of the U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. Israeli workers helped clear the rubble and treat the wounded. Israel was there when Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, sending over eight tons of medical equipment, food, water, and other supplies to those hit hardest by the storm.
Israel even extends a helping hand to those who attack her. In the face of repeated homicide bombings and rocket attacks from the terrorists of Hamas, this past year saw over 28,000 Israeli trucks carrying almost 655,000 tons of medical supplies, food, and aid cross into Gaza. Israeli fuel stations have remained open, despite repeated attacks on their workers, to deliver well over 4 million liters of fuel per week.
Our country has also opened its borders with Gaza to those in medical need. Since the beginning of 2008, over 10,000 Gazans have received medical treatment in Israel. These Gazans pay no Israeli taxes and are not part of any Israeli treatment plan, and yet the receive care without any hesitation. Hamas terrorists have attempted to use Israel’s humanitarian efforts against her, disguising homicide bombers as patients ordered to blow themselves up at check point, in ambulances, and in hospitals. Despite this, Israel continues to accept those in need and it is not uncommon after an attack to find one of these Hamas terrorists receiving treatment in the same hospital as their victims.
I have seen Israel’s commitment to humanity first hand. As Israel’s Ambassador to Ecuador I saw hundreds of Ecuadorian professionals who used MASHAV programs to improve the lives of their families and communities. They were trained in Israel and came back with cutting edge know how, shared with them by their Israeli colleagues. I have seen one person return from such training and change the life of his entire village in the Amazon rain forest. I also headed humanitarian relief missions after natural disasters, including volcano eruptions. Our missions, staffed by Israeli trained Ecuadorian doctors, went into remote villages bringing help and hope.
In the 21st century every country must understand that poverty and disease know no borders. In our global society, every member is only as strong as the weakest. Israel has a growing first world economy and a strong and open democracy. As such, our country is called to aid all those who suffer around the world. We understand our responsibilities. For the last 60 years our country has met the call and served the global community.
Article appeared in the Atlanta Jewish Times on September 26, 2008
Bringing you news in a new way
September 26, 2008 at 2:04 pm | In Economics, Enviromental Conservation, Peace Process, Security | Leave a Comment
In our continuing efforts to meet you wherever you are, the Consulate to the Southeast is working with local media outlets to bring you the latest in Israel related video content. Our videos include in-depth information on Israel in the media, Israeli art & culture, the Mideast peace process, and Israel’s vibrant economy. We hope you enjoy our videos and check them out at our website, http://atlanta.mfa.gov.il or visit them directly by clicking here.
Economic Integration and Peace
July 18, 2008 at 4:40 pm | In Integration, Peace Process | Leave a CommentToday Israel ranks as one of the world’s most globalized economies, making it unique in the Middle East. It was among the first countries to establish free trade agreements with the United States and European Union, and today has robust commercial ties with many other states around the world. Israel’s place in the global economy was achieved because of the country’s belief in the integration of the world community and the need to forge international economic cooperation for the mutual benefit of all society. Israel’s positive integration creates a stark contrast to the Middle East, where trade is all too rare.
In the recent years the southeast region of the U.S. has grown rapidly and attracted large scale international investment. Many Israeli companies have discovered the region’s potential and started moving their North American headquarters to the area, creating jobs and strengthening the local economy.
Israel is also expanding its relationship with Europe. Through the EU-Israel Association Council, an organization headed by Foreign Ministers, which conducts the bilateral relations between the two, Israel and Europe are ushering in a new era in relations, a consequence of nearly a year of extensive effort. As a result of hard work, Israel has increased its participation in European plans and agencies and is now being examined for possible integration into the European single market.
The Israeli economy and society are moving closer to European norms and standards. The competitiveness of Israeli companies in the European market is increasing, primarily in the field of high-tech, and with the signing of a recent aviation agreement, another result of the council’s work, consumers in both Israel and Europe will benefit from lower prices.
Increased trade and cooperation have improved Israel’s relations with Europe and with the EU in recent years. Israel has enjoyed a significant improvement in its diplomatic relations with most European states, as well as with EU institutions, which is expressed, among other ways, in the many visits to Israel paid by European leaders.
Israel and Europe have reached a number of important agreements over the past year, including: an upgrade in the diplomatic-strategic dialogue between Israel and the EU; Israel’s new membership to the official EU program for research and development; and trade liberalization in the field of agriculture. A framework agreement has been signed for Israel to enter EU programs, a high-level business dialogue has been established between the Israeli and European business communities, and negotiations on free trade in the financial services sector are about to begin.
Whilst Israel celebrates its economic integration into the European Union and the American Southeast, it must never forget its neighbors in the Middle East. It is a tragic fact that trade in the Middle East is rare and minimal, not just between the Arab states and Israel, but even between the Arab countries themselves. Trade has the power to bring countries closer together, and the globally vital Middle Eastern region should not be an exception. Cooperation and integration have proven themselves to be major vehicles for peace around the world and should be brought to the Middle East, a region deeply in need of their pacific effects.
Article appeared in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on July 4th, 2008
A Growing Movement: American Jews and the Israeli Druze
July 18, 2008 at 4:39 pm | In Integration, Peace Process | Leave a CommentIt began shortly after I first landed in Atlanta to take my position as Consul General. Members of the local Jewish population took an interest in my background and started to visit Israel’s Druze communities. Many traveled to my northern Israeli home town of Isfiya, on Mount Carmel. People wanted to know: “what’s this new Druze Consul General ‘made of’” and, “who are these Druze anyway?”
It became a movement. Every other week I received letters and post cards from Jewish families around the Southeast. They had visited one of the Druze communities and were coming back with messages from my friends and loved ones.
For many of these travelers and those who hear their stories, their Druze experience has a profound impact on their lives. They are inspired to get involved in social and educational projects in the Druze community. One Jewish family got so exited after a visit to Horfesh, a Druze town in the Galilee, that the family helped the town build a library in one of the local schools. The Mayor of Horfash informed me that ORT USA was donating ten computerized “Smart Classes” to local Horfash schools; worth $500,000.
One might ask, “Why would Jewish Americans care about the Druze in Israel?” The answer is simple. The Israeli Druze are the mirror image of the American Jews. They are both strong minorities that work diligently to contribute positively and integrate into their country.
The movement for increased partnership between the Druze and American Jews has created strong bonds, in part because the Druze support the Jews and Israel politically. But, the support is more than merely political. The Druze are sacrificing hundreds of their own as Israeli solders, defending Israel and its people. Young Israeli Druze are fighting bravely on the frontlines in the war against terrorism and Islamic extremism.
Every year the Druze welcome thousands of American Jews visiting their villages as part of their “birthright” trip. These students enjoy the warm hospitality of the Druze in Carmel and the Galilee, and many of them remember the Druze part of the trip as the most interesting part of their tour. In return those young Jews are sharing their experiences and making the tiny Druze community very popular around the world. Just try to Google the word “Druze.”
American Jewish involvement with the Israeli Druze is nothing new. I, myself, am a product of American Jewish philanthropy. As a youth I went to my town’s local branch of BBYO, a branch that was supported by a generous American Jewish family. BBYO was one of the reasons that, years later, my town of Isfiya became known as the “town of Ambassadors.” The town had three Ambassadors, including myself, all simultaneously serving the State of Israel on three different continents.
My middle school education at the Leo Buck School in Haifa was the initiative of reform Rabbi Samuels. Rabbi Samuels decided that it was important to invest in the education of young Druze. Even my graduate studies at Harvard University were the product of American Jewish generosity, made possible by the Ohio-based Waxner Foundation. The Waxner Foundation has sent many of Israel’s government officials to Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, one of the best public management schools in the world.
The Druze, with the help of Jewish support, have chosen their path. They stand resolutely on the side of Israel. However, for other minority groups in Israel the future remains uncertain. Today, Israel’s Arab minority is experiencing a struggle between their Martin Luther Kings and their Malcolm X’s, between their moderates who, like the Druze, push for integration and their extremists who push for Palestinian nationalism within Israel, which leads only to violence and instability.
American Jews can make a difference in Israel by getting involved in the social well being of moderate minorities in Israel. By strengthening the ties between these groups and their own, American Jews will bolster the moderates and forever change the course of events in the Middle East. Through support and common understanding more groups can follow the path of the Israeli Druze. As it did with the Druze, this movement of cooperation will allow American Jews to make a constructive contribution to the strength and future of the State of Israel.
Article appeared in the Jewish Daily Forward on May 8th, 2008; and in the Atlanta Jewish Times on May 23rd, 2008
Israel: The Next Sixty Years
July 18, 2008 at 4:37 pm | In Economics, Peace Process | Leave a CommentIt took two thousand years to dream of it, sixty years to plan it, and sixty more to bring it to life. The modern state of Israel will celebrate its sixtieth anniversary in 2008 with great pride in its achievements and with the knowledge that its story, like that of any other democratic society, remains unfinished. We Israelis live in a region filled with great instability and anxiety, but we will never give up our hope for peace.
Israel is a small place, no bigger than any state in the American South. Yet its people represent a brave and ancient nation with a dynamic soul. Today Israel ranks among the world’s 25 most advanced and freest nations. In 1995 it was the first country to sign a free trade agreement with both the United States and Europe. Israel is the only non-European Union state to be included in the EU science program, and was recently announced as a candidate for the prestigious Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Israelis believe that anything can be possible. This was our belief from the moment our first immigrants entered the Promised Land in the late nineteenth century, and it continues to drive us today. The strongest internal calling of contemporary Israelis echoes the desire of early Zionist thinker Achad Ha’am (1856-1927): to fulfill Israel’s destiny as ‘a light unto the nations.’ Achad Ha’am’s essential idea to create an intellectual hub in the Promised Land still motivates the Israeli spirit of innovation and generosity.
This is the attitude behind the Israel of scientific achievement, the powerhouse of innovation that created the smallest satellites in the sky, the smallest pill cameras, and technologies that are incorporated into every cell phone and personal computer. Israel leads the world in the number of patents registered and high-tech firms per capita.
Israelis do not dwell on their security problems. Since the early 1950s they have journeyed throughout the developing world to share their technological expertise. When MASHAV aid recipients from the Amazon to Southeast Asia refer to Israel as a superpower, it has nothing to do with its military power. To them Israel is a superpower because it sends them engineers to help them acquire drinking water, or doctors to help them treat diseases.
In spite of these achievements, the Israelis have yet to attain what will be their greatest accomplishment. They long for the day when they will live peacefully and securely along side a stable, prosperous Palestinian state. Peace is the desire of the Israelis, and it is our wish for all of our children over the next sixty years: Palestinians and Israelis; Arabs and Jews alike.
The Israeli – Palestinian conflict is one of many conflicts in the area stretching from the Persian Gulf to Northern Africa. There are those who are determined turn the Middle East into the center of a global clash of civilizations. Israel, however, will use its next sixty years as it used its first sixty, working to achieve the dream of peace and stability. Our history gives us hope as it teaches us that people of good faith do have the power to implement their dreams. Our peaceful wishes and positive thinking might make us seem weak to tyrants, but Israel will prove that the victory of peace over hate is inevitable.
Article appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on May 8th, 2008; in the Birmingham News on May 18th, 2008; in the Asheville Citizen Times on May 18th, 2008; and in Israel 21C on May 19th, 2008
Reflections: Achievements and Challenges of the State of Israel
July 18, 2008 at 4:28 pm | In Economics, Peace Process | Leave a CommentUpon its upcoming 60th birthday, Israel will look back on a great history of achievement, far beyond its achievement of mere survival. Looking to its future, Israel’s main focus will continue to be nation-building, the foundation for its citizens’ quality of life in the place they proudly call home.
In the past six decades, Israel has realized levels of advanced technology and statehood that few nations in this world have been able to attain, and Israel has accomplished this even in the face of ongoing conflict and the struggle for survival. From minisatellites high in the sky to smart submarines deep in the seas, from the technology that helps navigate the Internet to the technology that helps doctors navigate inside the human body, Israeli innovation is an essential ingredient. It is in every computer, every cellphone and every other means of telecommunication that our modern world relies on.
It is the quintessential Israeli attitude that has produced this innovation, advancement and social welfare in Israel: Anything and everything is possible if one puts his mind to it. This same Israeli attitude envisioned their cattle leading the world in milk production in a place where other people saw only swamps and wasteland. It envisioned fish farms and sweet watermelon groves using subterranean salt water where others could see only a desert wilderness.
Israel has managed to become the leading country in the world in the number of doctors, engineers and scientists per capita despite its volatile borders and dangerous neighbors. We have to remember that Israel has not seen one decade without violence, and it has paid the price for survival with the lives of too many young heroes. But come what may, Israel remains among the leading nations in average life expectancy.
It is of course life that is the most valued entity, the most important principle for the Israeli people. Yet Israel is in a neighborhood where the sanctity of life is becoming more vulnerable than ever: Growing violence in the Middle East, especially in the past seven years, coupled with the culture of death propagated by terror masterminds in Tehran and Gaza, is endangering life, in every meaning of the word. The past seven years have been an awkward mix of continued success in Israel and a growing doubt of peace in the region’s future.
Many Israelis have lost hope for a peaceful existence, and thousands of them have left the country since the outbreak of the second intifada in 2000. Last year was the first year since the early 1980s that Israel had more people leaving the country than immigrating to it. It is no surprise, then, that Israel’s major challenge in the next decade will be regaining the confidence of the Israeli people in their homeland’s future.
It is true that some challenges require the cooperation of our neighbors and do not depend on our action alone. However, there exist many other internal social issues that must be addressed.
The economic divide is wider in Israel today than it has ever been. On one side, we see 40 families that control a huge chunk of the Israeli economy and the high-tech millionaires living the “American dream” in Israel. On the other side, we see the middle class that has been the foundation for Israel’s democracy, defense and prosperity shrinking every day. If Israel continues to drift in the direction of a society composed of the extremely poor and the extremely wealthy, it will lose those in the middle who are the base of its society.
As we usher in the Jewish year of 5768 and reflect on Israel’s turbulent and unparalleled history, we hold on to the hope that the future holds more promise. We wish that the next seven years will be the seven good years, that they will see a decrease in violence from Israel’s enemies and that they will see the rejuvenation of the strong social base that made Israel an exemplary world leader in innovation.
Article appeared in the Atlanta Jewish Times on August 7th, 2007
Iran’s Influence on the Middle East
July 18, 2008 at 4:25 pm | In Peace Process, Security | Leave a CommentWhat do all the current threats in the Middle East – the Hamas takeover in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah’s bid for power in Lebanon, political turmoil in Iraq and imminent nuclear weapons in the hands of a radical dictatorship – have in common? Iran.
Those issues are linked by Tehran’s drive for regional hegemony. Iran’s strategy has been in place since the 1979 Islamist revolution, but it has only recently begun to pay off. The often-stated goal of the revolution was to turn Iran into a utopian Islamist society and to spread the revolution throughout the Middle East and the Islamic world in general.
Iran has often been cautious in pursuing its program, especially given the war with Iraq in the 1980s and the possibility of Western opposition. But events have given the regime renewed confidence, and the extreme line taken by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has produced more daring – thus reckless and violent – behavior.
Iran tries to extend its influence in three ways: propaganda and incitement; the promotion of client groups; and the projection of the state’s own power. Iran sponsors radical Islamist groups in Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon and among the Palestinians, as well as in other countries. Its two most important clients are Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Palestinian group Hamas.
Those organizations are not totally controlled by Tehran and do not have their every move dictated by it, but Iran finances them, provides weapons and training, encourages them to launch attacks, and shapes their ideology. Without Iran’s backing, they would lack most of their power.
The evidence indicates that Iran has urged them to be more aggressive and to launch terrorist attacks and more general offensives.
Take Lebanon, for example. Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim group, closely follows Iran’s line. The organization’s head, Hassan Nasrallah, is also the official representative in Lebanon of Iran’s “spiritual guide” or supreme leader – that country’s most powerful official. In 2006, Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel that led to a major war, steps it would never have taken without knowing Iran wanted such actions. Indeed, in an April interview on Al-Kawthar TV, Hezbollah’s deputy secretary-general, Sheik Naim Qassem, said: “Hezbollah, when it comes to matters of jurisprudence pertaining to its general direction, as well as to its jihad direction, bases itself on the decisions of the spiritual guide [Iran's supreme leader]. … With regard to all the other details – whenever we need jurisprudent clarifications regarding what is permitted and what is forbidden on the jihad front, we ask, receive general answers and implement them.”
Since the end of the summer 2006 war, Hezbollah’s emphasis has been to control Lebanon, though it has also rebuilt its military power. On a number of occasions, Iran has been caught smuggling arms to Hezbollah through Syria and Turkey. Iranian Revolutionary Guards act as military advisers to Hezbollah. Opponents of an Iranian-Syrian takeover in Lebanon, politicians and journalists, have been killed in terrorist attacks. Iran is seeking to turn Lebanon into a satellite state.
The same tactics are employed with the Palestinians. Hamas and the even more extremist Palestinian Islamic Jihad follow Iran’s line. Tehran has publicly urged those organizations to carry out terrorist attacks and, in addition to training and arms, provides examples of anti-Semitic rhetoric duplicated in their propaganda.
This June was a turning point in Palestinian history. Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip, expelled its nationalist Fatah rivals, executed many people because of their political views or activities, and made clear its intention of transforming the Gaza Strip into an Islamist state, following Iran’s example.
Many Palestinians and other Arabs state their fear and resentment at the idea that Hamas represents an Iranian effort to seize control of their land and cause. On June 20, Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior member of Fatah’s PLO executive committee, said in a press statement: “Iran helped Hamas to lead a military coup against the legitimate Palestinian leadership and to control the Gaza Strip.”
Egyptian Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit asserted in a recent speech that Iranian aid to Hamas in Gaza poses a threat to Egyptian security.
Hamas co-founder and former Foreign Minister Mahmud al-Zahar told Der Spiegel in June: “I personally once brought $20 million from Iran to the Gaza Strip in a suitcase. No, actually twice – the second time it was $22 million.”
Two of the Arab world’s top journalists have spoken out on this issue.
Tariq al-Humayd, the editor of the popular Arabic daily Asharq Alawsat, wrote: “The source of the funds is obviously Iran. Today, no one has control over Hamas … except Iran, its economic patron, and Syria,” where Hamas has its headquarters.
Ahmad Al-Jarallah, the editor of Kuwait’s Al-Siyassa, wrote: “By means of Hamas’ takeover in Gaza, the Iran-Syria axis has managed … to sabotage the Israeli-Palestinian peace” and become the main arbiter of regional politics.
On the horizon looms Iran’s nuclear arsenal. If Tehran gets the ultimate weapon of mass destruction, it will rally far larger numbers of radical and terrorist forces to attack the West and moderate Arabs, as well as Israel. Hiding behind its nuclear umbrella, Iran and its allies would be able to attack Western interests without fear of retribution. Iran would block any chance for peace and push the region into decades more of bloodshed.
Events in Iraq, in Lebanon and among the Palestinians reinforce the need to contain Iran and to ensure it does not obtain nuclear weapons.
Article appeared in the Hebrew Watchman on July 19th, 2007; and in the Atlanta Jewish Times on August 13th, 2007
Gaza: A 40 Year Struggle to Maintain Hope
July 18, 2008 at 4:24 pm | In Peace Process | Leave a CommentMair Shalev, a leading Israeli author, wrote in a recent article that 40 was a popular number in the Bible: It was 40 years the people of Israel wandered in the desert, and it was a 40-day flood before Noah’s dove retrieved the famous olive branch. Now, 40 years after the Six-Day War, Israelis ask whether the violence will end. Will this tragic story come to a close that brings hope to Israelis and Palestinians?
John Lennon and Yoko Ono once suggested that Arabs and Jews should gather on the border and have a shouting match and let the louder party win. I am not sure shouting is the way to do it – talking may be better – but open communication is definitely required. The Middle East has been dominated too long by a rigid, singular method of resolving disputes: violence. I think it is high time the people and leaders of the Middle East understand that it is more important to live for your cause than to die for it.
Two stories from the Six-Day War remain with me as symbols of the cost of war.
The first is that of a banner raised by Israeli paratroopers at the closing stages of one of the fiercest battles in the outskirts of Jerusalem: “Buried here are brave Jordanian fighters.” I am moved still today by the value these Israeli soldiers placed on human life; they felt it only right to commemorate their falling enemy.
The second account is that of Israeli Druze solders who fought in the heavy battles against Syria in the Golan Heights. When battle ceased, they discovered from the ID cards of fallen Syrian solders the names of fellow Druze from the other side, some of whom were family members. No one wins in war, and everyone loses.
I was too young during the Six-Day War to recall details, but I still keep the postcards that my uncle Waleed sent my family from the front lines. In the postcards he asks about me and prays that when I reach military age, there will be no need for me to serve, as we would have peace. This is the common prayer of every mother and father in Israel, the prayer of peace.
Many people forget that immediately after the 1967 Six-Day War, the Israeli government offered to return all lands gained in return for peace agreements. The answer of the Arab leaders: a resounding “no.” No to peace, no to recognition of Israel, and no to negotiation.
Sadly, these were not the last rejections of peace the state of Israel encountered. The first intifada in the mid-1990s and the wave of suicide bombers in Black March of 1996 came after the Oslo Accords. In May 2000, President Clinton, Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Chairman Yasser Arafat were two yards from an agreement that could have brought lasting peace, but again peace was on the losing side. The second Palestinian intifada started thereafter.
The current anarchy in Gaza rejects peace yet again, not only with Israel, but in principle: It feeds a culture of violence, and violence does not differentiate between Palestinian children in Gaza or Israeli children in Sderot. How sadly ironic it is to hear leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad calling for the reinstatement of Israeli occupation to prevent a Palestinian civil war. It is important for me to repeat what every moderate Palestinian should know: Israelis do not want to see a Palestinian civil war. We understand and respect the value of human life and can see clearly that unrest in Gaza means unrest in Israel.
My uncle’s prayer for me was not answered, and I was drafted along with his three sons. More war followed in Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza. It is now my generation’s prayer that our sons and daughters will not enter war’s losing battle and that the dream of peace will become a reality, that moderation will prevail over extremism and that violence will be replaced by tolerance and mutual understanding. These are the challenges of history and remain the challenges we face today.
Article appeared in the Atlanta Jewish Times on July 13th, 2007
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