By Joel Magalnick, JTNews Correspondent
Yossi Amrani is a hopeful man. “I’m hopeful for one reason,” said the Israeli Consul General for the Northwest United States. “We need to have hope, and we can’t live without hope.”
Amrani spoke to an audience of well over 100 at a town hall meeting at Temple De Hirsch Sinai on November 6. People came to Amrani’s 90-minute talk armed with critical and thoughtful questions.
The forum covered a range of topics, from security and the Palestinian conflict to the settlements to the very idea of a Jewish state. One thing remained constant throughout the talk: Amrani’s steadfast loyalty to his homeland.
“We are tired of apologizing and explaining we have a right to exist,” he said while pounding his fists on the podium, breaking his otherwise calm demeanor. Yet he noted the difficult intricacies of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“I believe in our cause,” he said, “but how do you explain demolishing houses?”
Though Amrani acknowledged that the Palestinians are the underdogs in the situation, while “I represent the F-16s,” he said Israel needs those F-16s to defend its citizens’ lives.
Yet while Israel weathers harsh criticism of its use of force, he said, to Arab countries image is everything. By pulling out of the settlements, for instance, Israel would show signs of weakness.
“As a Jew,” Amrani said, “I have a right to live everywhere in the land of Israel.”
However, he understands the reality of the situation and acknowledged the government will eventually have to deal with the settlements issue, because it’s the only way to a two-state solution. For defense and air traffic issues, some settlements like Ariel and Gilo will need to be maintained, he said, but “both sides will have to swallow some tough decisions.”
Israel will also need to be instrumental in pulling up the Palestinian economy, he said. This means investing in education in pluralism and diversity, creating financial incentives — because poor countries are most open to accepting terror groups, Amrani said — and basing foreign aid on the Palestinian Authority’s adherence to these goals. But, he is careful to point out, Israel cannot do it alone. It will need a coalition of countries around the world to help put these policies in place.
Before this happens, however, the Palestinian side must begin to show that it is willing to cooperate. Yasser Arafat, Amrani said, is not the leader who will bring this cooperation about.
“When you embark on terrorism, you are not a man of peace,” he said, while acknowledging his country’s government could have done more to help former prime minister Mahmoud Abbas. He said he is hopeful negotiations can be more successful with Ahmed Qurei and the cabinet just put in place.
Amrani said the tools for creating peace in the region exist, but “we need to have a partner.” He also noted that the window for creating peace is getting smaller, and part of his optimism stems from the hope that the window will not close before it’s too late.
“At this time,” he said, “history is being decided for us.”