Heads up – Embassy 6 – March 2008

Israel – A 60th birthday wish

Ask Ron Prosor what Israel would most like for its 60th birthday and the answer is simply “peace”.

Israel’s affable Ambassador returns to London having served here a decade ago, when, as the embassy’s spokesperson, he helped to organise Israel’s golden jubilee and the State Visit of President Ezer Weitzman.

Much has happened in the intervening years, but with depressingly little progress. After London, Prosor headed to Washington where he was involved in the Wye talks. Later he watched as the Israelis and Palestinians came tantalisingly close to a peace deal at Camp David and then helped manage the transition from a Clinton to Bush administration.

Returning to Israel, Prosor was appointed Director General of the Foreign Ministry in 2004, a high point in his career, he says: “It’s a position where you can make your voice heard and play an active part in decision making.”

And some of those decisions were not easy, he admits, such as Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. “Israel disengaged from Gaza with all the elements required by international law – no roadblocks, no settlers,” he says. “The hope was this would give the Palestinians an opportunity to create a responsible state that could be the model for the future.”

Instead Hamas seized power in Gaza and over 2,000 rockets have since rained down on Israeli border villages – and some have penetrated deeper.

Israel hit back with a blockade and then, when that failed to yield results, air strikes which reports say also killed over 100 Palestinian civilians. This has led to critics accusing Israel of collective punishment for a few militants, but a grim-faced Prosor says: “We are dealing with an organisation that uses its own people as human shields. We resisted action for a long time but this is all that is left in the toolbox. We have a right to defend ourselves.”

Asked whether Israel would ever consider talking to Hamas as a way of bringing it into the political process – similar to the example of the IRA in Northern Ireland – the Ambassador refuses outright. “Hamas is not part of the solution; they are part of the problem. They refuse to recognise Israel. They are doing everything in their power to derail the peace process. Violence and terror are their solution and they will not stop until they have pushed the Jews into the Mediterranean. And you know we are not very good swimmers!”

Doggedly determined to pursue peace, he says: “We will continue to  talk to moderate Palestinian leaders such as President Abbas.”

Hinting that Israel is willing to make concessions, he adds: “When there is willing leadership on the other side we have shown we are willing to make territorial concessions to achieve peace. Look at Sadat. Egypt got everything back. We will work hard to support Abbas; 2008 is a crossroads for him.”

But the key to lasting peace is education, he says. “We need to counteract the incitement; the radical line of Islamic thought is dangerous.”

Now in Britain, he is satisfied with stablising influence that the British government and key officials such as Tony Blair and Michael Williams bring to the peace process.

But he is on a mission to educate the British public about Israel, which he says is sometimes unfairly “demonised” in the press. “We need to show that Israel maintains a vibrant democracy despite the terror and the bombings.”

Already he has faced his critics in lecture halls up and down the country and he wants to use 60th anniversary celebrations to forge more people-to-people contacts. A presidential visit is on the cards and, as a football fan and a believer in the power of sport to bring people together, he has invited Manchester United to play in Israel.

Securing a peace deal by the end of the year remains a tall order but let’s hope Ambassador Prosor’s birthday wish comes true.