Back to Ambassadorial Speeches - Ambassador Zalman Shoval

AMBASSADOR SHOVAL: ADDRESS TO 85th HADASSAH CONVENTION, WASHINGTON, DC JULY 25, 1999

President Post, President-Elect Lipton, Senator, Congresswomen, Friends:

I bring greetings to this great convention from the State and the People of Israel! Seven years and thirteen days ago - I stood here before you, addressing the 1992 "Hadassah" convention. Also after a change of government...I don't know why this is happening every time they send me here as Ambassador...? Someone has called coming back here for the second time as Israel's ambassador - "the mother of all dejavues" - anyway, I am glad to have the opportunity to address the annual convention of your wonderful organization once again! I am a great admirer of Hadassah, always have been - now that I understand that you accept also men, I might even apply for membership...

Friends, it is less than a week since Israel's new Prime Minister Barak's visit to Washington - and obviously you'll want me to say a few things about the visit - and I shall. But first, let me state that Israel - and you as supporters of Israel - can be proud of the fact that, as the only vibrant democracy in the whole Middle East, a committed and intelligent 80% of the people went to the polls to freely elect their leaders; and that, in spite of the rather heated election campaign - no holds were barred - we have had such a smooth transition from one government to another. Of course, all this was actually the relatively easy part for Barak - only now the tough part begins. You know, a British Prime Minister once said: "There are three classes which need sanctuary more than others: birds, wild flowers, and Prime Ministers..." To mention just one subject the new Prime Minister had to deal with: coalition building - very difficult! And: unity in Israel, and Jewish unity as a whole, are a strategic factor - for Israel - and for the peace process too - thus to reestablish it, to heal the wounds of the last six years, is and should be one of the most important tasks for us - and for you as well. But, lest we forget - the new Israeli government will have to face, more or less, many of the same problems, the same challenges, that previous ones did. Of course, every leader has his own style, his own strategies, priorities, his own approach and preferences, his own time-table, if you will - but the issues have not really changed; sooner or later, "Wye" will be behind us, and as you know, we have proposed to the Palestinians to incorporate the remaining parts of the "Wye" Accords into the beginning of the talks on the Permanent Status - but whether this will be so or not - the real fundamental issue for Israel is still how to reach peace with our neighbors - but without endangering our fundamental security concerns - and I would add, without abandoning our most cherished Zionist aims; there still will be the need to enhance our deterrent and defensive capabilities against any combination of potential enemies - near or far - and, anyway, "Far" doesn't mean very far, if you talk about Iraq or Iran; there is the imperative to preserve the unity of Jerusalem and Israel's sovereignty in its ancient and eternal capital - I remember the late Moshe Dayan saying to President Carter, at Camp David, 21 years ago: "With all the important of the agreements we hope to achieve - for Jerusalem not to be the capital of Israel, one would have to remove from Jewish prayers the phrase ÔNext year in Jerusalem.' To rewrite the bible, and to erase 3000 years of Jewish history; history at the very heart of which lies Jerusalem."

Prime Minister Barak said more or less the same, in his own words - adding: this is our position. Period! Then, we shall have to determine the borders - borders which must be very, very different from the dangerous, vulnerable pre-'67 ones; geography and territory are vital factors in Israel's ability to defend itself - and new borders also mean creating contiguity between the large, and strategically important settlement clusters or blocks in Judea and Samaria -with pre-'67 Israel; and there is the refugee issue which has been an open wound for 51 years - deliberately, and I would add inhumanly, left to fester by a cynical Arab world - a problem which can only be solved by finally absorbing and integrating those "refugees" amongst their brethren in the Arab countries in which they live - just as Israel has absorbed the much larger number of Jewish refugees from Arab countries. If there will have to be financial compensation - that's fine, but it will have to be compensation to all - Arab and Jewish alike.

Prime Minister Barak has stated that he would like to tackle all these problems - and Syria and Lebanon too - within a time frame of 15 months. Believe me, it won't be easy. I hate to repeat the somewhat over-used saying that it takes two-to-tango - but, you know, in the Middle East one dances the "Debka" and that takes more than two...

Contrary perhaps to conventional wisdom - which anyway is usually more conventional than wise - the next few months may thus be some of the most crucial in our existence. All Israeli Prime Ministers in the past had to make difficult, fateful decisions - none more than David Ben-Gurion, founder of the State. All Israeli leaders, of whichever party strove to advance the cause of peace - but the decision which will be facing us in coming months will hardly be less dramatic and crucial as any before. As Henry Kissinger reminded us - for Israel the margin of survival is very, very narrow - there is no second time. And indeed, Ehud Barak said the very same thing a few days ago, some of you may have heard him: "The Middle East - he said - is a very tough region - we wouldn't have a second chance - there is no mercy for the weak."

This reality, the reality that the guarantee for peace is not just a signed document - with all the importance of documents - but Israel's overall strength and might, especially military strength - this reality has not changed. As the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes wrote: "Covenants without swords are but words."

Therefore, the importance of the joint statement by President Clinton and Prime Minister Barak last week stems not only from its specific points and agreements, but even more from its reconfirmation of America's commitment to maintain Israel's ability to deter and defend itself, by itself - "By itself", that's important, against any threat or likely combination of threats. For peace between us and our neighbors - or rather their willingness to live in peace, real peace, not some sort of sham peace - will to no small degree depend on their clear awareness that America is Israel's ally, and that though we may not agree on everything, and we don't - America will never confront Israel where our basic interests and positions are concerned. And only we can determine what these are.

Ladies and Gentlemen, in concluding, allow me to briefly reflect on matters beyond politics. You know, it has always been my firm belief that an Israeli Ambassador must also be the ambassador of the Jewish State to the Jewish people abroad. I sometimes hear that there is supposedly a lessening of American Jews' interest in Israel. I hope this is not so. But, if it were true - and there may be more than one explanation for it - taking Israel for granted might be one. But if it were true, namely that U.S. Jews, especially younger people, are less interested in Israel - this will ultimately mean that American Jews are less interested in being Jews. For without the centrality of Israel there is no future for the Jewish people anywhere.

There are many things that one should do - Jewish, Israel-oriented education is certainly one; bringing Jewish youngsters to Israel and especially reinvigorating aliya is another - and as Tom Friedman wrote the other day - "Mr. Barak's party" -- and I would add many other parties as well - "will have to start thinking more seriously about taking Judaism more seriously". I agree. This also means that Israel must take the lead in building bridges between Jews who, though they have different ways of practicingtheir Jewishness - are eternally bound together by that very same Jewishness. Unless we want to tear the Jewish people apart - the only way to address the matter is through dialogue and mutual tolerance - not by confrontation and acrimony.

All this has a great deal to do with "Hadassah" as well. "Hadassah" is not just any Jewish organization in America - and all Jewish organizations are important - but "Hadassah" defines itself as a Zionist organization - and I want to praise your incoming President, Bonnie Lipton, for making that very point - "We are Zionists" - she said - and this can only mean that, just like for all Jews - but more so, your task in coming years will be to rekindle the spirit and ideal of Zionism and Jewishness - and one cannot exist without the other, around the centrality of the State of Israel - the State of all the Jewish people everywhere!