| The Middle East |

The Diplomatic View: Israel

The Israeli Ambassador to Ireland, His Excellency Mr Boaz Modai,
speaks to SIGNAL about relations with Ireland, Israel’s challenges
in the Middle East and what the future holds for his country.

Welcome to Ireland Mr. Ambassador. Could you give a brief

overview of Israel’s current diplomatic relations with Ireland and
what has your own introduction to this country been like?
Between our two peoples, there is a lot more in common than
might first appear.  We are two small peoples with long histories,
both having suffered much and come through bad times.  In cultural
life, we both give a high status to the written and spoken word and
therefore invest much creative energy in literature and the theatre. 
We have both recently come through a similar transition from a
largely agricultural to a hi-tech based economy. And in both of our
societies, there is a high level of popular interest in politics – much
more than you will find, say, in the US or the UK.
Our relationship at the trade and economic level is mutually
beneficial. Trade between us amounts to $400 million per year,
three-quarters of it Irish exports to Israel. As far as relations Israel’s sixth President. His son Isaac
between our governments are concerned, it is true that we have Herzog is today a Cabinet Minister in Israel’s
not always seen eye to eye. However, it is our experience that when Government.  
governments of other countries come to understand the realities
and the complexities of our situation, relations tend to improve. The What are the key concerns for Israel in
important thing here is to maintain an ongoing dialogue between terms of regional security?  Has there
governments. I am very pleased to note that last May, the first ever been any notable progress in relations with
high-level meeting between officials of the Irish and Israeli Foreign Damascus, Cairo, Amman and Beirut?
Ministries took place in Jerusalem. This is a positive development, Firstly, as you are probably aware, Egypt
and something we plan to repeat annually, once in each capital. and Jordan have both concluded peace
I arrived here only in mid-August, and my reception has been treaties with Israel. Our dialogue with Cairo
friendly and warm. The people I have met have been open and and Amman is open and frank, we co-
hospitable and have made my family and
myself feel comfortable and at home. The
conversations I have had so far have been
open and frank and conducted in a good
atmosphere. I have already seen something
of the beauty of Ireland. Just last month
we toured the west coast from the Kerry
peninsulas up to the Cliffs of Moher and
found the scenery breathtaking. I am looking
forward to seeing more of the country.
I would like at this point to acknowledge
the importance of Ireland’s Jewish
community.  The community, though small,
has supplied the Dáil with TDs in each of
its three main political parties. And it has
given Israel one of its most famous families. 
Chaim Herzog, son of a Chief Rabbi of
Ireland, was born in Belfast and educated in
Dublin before he moved to Israel, fought in
its War of Independence and finally became

Above: Tel Aviv

50 | | winter ‘10 |

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets Palestinian Premier, Mahmoud Abbas, at the start of the now stalled peace talks
which were launched by President Barack Obama in September.
operate at many levels and Israel seeks to
expand this co-operation.
Israel’s principal security concern in the
region is, of course, Iran. With its race to
build a nuclear weapon and its leadership
frequently calling for the elimination of
Israel, it is an existential threat for us. But
Iran’s long arm that penetrates the region
makes it a threat not just to Israel but to the
Arab states. Its two proxies, Hezbollah in
Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, both of them
armed and trained by Iran, form a part of its
strategy of hostile encirclement of Israel,
but also deepen the influence of Iran in
the wider region and threaten the stability
of Lebanon and other Arab countries.  position – a hostage in the hands of Hezbollah, a radical Islamic
Israel has been warning the international
community for years of the danger posed
by Iran’s nuclear uranium enrichment
program.  In fact, Iran’s nuclear ambitions
| The Middle East |
have become a problem for the entire democratic and peace-seeking
world. The fact that sanctions are now finally beginning to take
effect is a demonstration that Israel’s warnings have been in some
measure successful.
As for Damascus, Israel has called on the Syrians to enter
dialogue and make peace for the sake of the welfare of both Israelis
and Syrians. Unfortunately, Syria has remained a close ally of Iran
and works with that country to boost the strength of Hezbollah on
our northern border. The Syrians have set preconditions for talks by
demanding a full withdrawal from the Golan Heights. Israel wants
negotiations without preconditions in which the Golan should be one
of the matters for negotiation.
After Israel made its peace treaty with Egypt, it expected that
Lebanon would be the second country to make peace with Israel. 
However, the strong Syrian influence in Lebanon has left it in a tragic
group controlled, financed and trained by Iran. We can only hope that
the positive political groups there will succeed in moving it closer to
the moderate parts of the Arab world.
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| The Middle East |

President Ahmadinejad recently received a hero’s welcome in these determinations of the United Nations. 
Lebanon. How concerned is Israel about this and how does it view The status of this territory can ultimately
the visit generally?  be finalised in direct peace negotiations
President Ahmadinejad’s visit to Lebanon recently was a between Israel and Syria.    
disturbing development. For one thing, it was clearly a provocation. 
Ahmadinejad and his regime have repeatedly called for the What are your thoughts on Hezbollah
annihilation of Israel, and, as the whole world knows and is activity at present?  Do you believe there is
concerned about, Iran is trying to acquire nuclear capability.  an active process of rearming in progress
Ahmadinejad arrives in Lebanon and goes within five kilometres of as has been suggested recently and could
the border! Israel do more to help limit the influence
His visit was a blatant act of triumphalism. Iran, through its of Hezbollah and Damascus on the
proxy, Hezbollah, is dangerously close to achieving its objective of Government of Lebanon?
the past thirty years – exporting the Shia I don’t need to believe that Hezbollah is
revolution by creating another Shia state rearming – I know it!  Since the end of the
likewise dedicated to terrorism and spreading second Lebanon war in 2006, Hezbollah
instability. Hezbollah is now a major political has restocked its armoury with tens of
force in Lebanon, and has an arsenal of ‘‘It is ‘two states for two thousands of new rockets and other
more than 40,000 rockets (making it far weaponry supplied by Iran. Engineers and
more powerful than most of the world’s peoples’, the existing state of technicians in Iranian uniform have been
armies); in short, it is a state within a state.  seen on the Lebanese border engaged
Ahmadinejad’s visit will only embolden Israel as the nation-state of in training and the installation of new
Hezbollah to go further, and try and take over armaments, so that Hezbollah is essentially
Lebanon altogether. This prospect worries us the Jewish people living side an outpost of the Iranian army on Israel’s
deeply, but it also scares the Arab powers. It northern border. The new rockets are more
is tragic for the Lebanese people too, most by side in peace and security sophisticated and have a range that can
of whom do not support Hezbollah and would reach much further into Israel than those
resent their country being a puppet of Iran. with the future Palestinian of the last war. It is clear that Hezbollah is
busily preparing for the next round of war. 
In relation to Lebanon, does Israel state as the nation-state of Under UN Security Council Resolution 1701,
recognise the ‘blue line’ as the border it was the duty of the UN and the Lebanese
between Lebanon and Israel? the Palestinian people. The Army to ensure the disarmament of
Yes. In 2000, Israel unilaterally withdrew Hezbollah. This has not happened; instead,
all its troops beyond the ‘blue line’ and this situation brought about Hezbollah has ignored the UN, overawed
withdrawal was recognised by the United the legitimate armed forces of Lebanon
Nations as a complete withdrawal from by Hamas rule in Gaza and proceeded to rearm and strengthen its
Lebanon. forces. It now holds hostage the population
is a major obstacle to the of southern Lebanon. It is a situation fraught
Accepting that the UN has concluded that with danger, both for Israel and for the
the Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon realization of this vision. people of Lebanon. Israel would obviously
is complete, what is the official Israeli prefer to see Lebanon as a strong, stable
position on the area known as the Sheebaa The population of Gaza democratic country, free from Hezbollah
Farms?  subversion and independent of Syrian and
In his report dated 22 May 2000, United is hostage in the hands of Iranian machinations. However, this is an
Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, internal Lebanese problem and it is for the
affirmed that Israel had fully withdrawn its Hamas.’’ Lebanese themselves to solve.
forces from Lebanon in accordance with
UN Security Council Resolution 425. The How would you interpret the effectiveness
Sheebaa farms area is not disputed territory, of UNIFIL as it currently stands?  Has Israel
but is considered by the United Nations as co-operated fully with demining and related
Syrian territory.  In the 2000 report, it is activity following its withdrawal from
stated that the United Nations had examined ten maps issued after Lebanon?
1966 by Lebanese government institutions and six maps issued Yes, Israel has co-operated fully in these
by the Syrian Government, including three after 1966, and that all activities. We do not wish to be the judges
of them place the Sheebaa farms within the borders of the Syrian of UNIFIL’s effectiveness, but we have our
Arab Republic. In a further statement on 10 April, 2002, Secretary doubts. Indeed it was reports from the UN
General Annan said: “Attacks at any point along the Blue Line, itself that have admitted that weapons are
including in the Sheebaa Farms area in the occupied Golan Heights, continuing to pour into Lebanon. 
are violations of Security Council Resolutions…” Israel accepts

52 | | winter ‘10 |

An El-Al flight, Israel’s national airline, approaches Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport.
How would you analyse the results of
recent/current talks with the Palestinian
Authority?  Do you believe that there has
been progress on a performance-based
Road Map to a two-state solution?  What
has the erection of the security barrier
meant for the average Israeli citizen?
It is important to have dialogue. Without
it, no progress can be made. The stimulus
to the current revival of peace negotiations
was the speech of Prime Minister Netanyahu
at Bar-Ilan University in June 2009, when
he called for negotiations to achieve an
independent, viable Palestinian state living
side by side in peace and security with
Israel, in line with the expectations set out
in the Road Map. These talks represent
the best hope in a long time for a peaceful
resolution of the conflict. Given the failure
of previous attempts at Camp David and
Annapolis, it is understandable that there
should be scepticism among the majority
of Israeli citizens about the chances of
success this time. Nevertheless, I firmly
believe that the Israeli public is ready to
make the necessary painful concessions if
| The Middle East |
they are convinced that the Palestinian leadership is genuinely ready
to make peace with Israel. It is too soon to expect concrete results
from these negotiations. And although they began recently, they are
already at a very delicate stage.
The erection of the security barrier over the past decade reduced
dramatically the number of terrorist attacks emanating from the
West Bank and the numbers of Israeli victims of those attacks. The
death tolls from suicide bombings each year as the security barrier
was gradually put in place tell their own story:  220 in 2002, 142 in
2003, 55 in 2004 and so on down to 3 in 2007. May I remind the
readers that in the last decade alone Israel lost more than 1,000
civilians murdered, including 125 Israeli children, and over 5,000
were wounded, in brutal terror attacks. One must be fair and ask
what Israel could do to stop the terror. The barrier did just that – it
has been saving lives!
This improvement in security has in turn allowed an easing of
controls: the numbers of roadblocks and checkpoints have been
drastically reduced in the West Bank, and the US-trained Palestinian
Authority security forces have done sterling work in cracking down
on Hamas terrorism in the West Bank. These changes have allowed
more normal conditions to resume and facilitated an economic
boom: last year the World Bank reported a 9% growth rate in the
West Bank economy. This shows Palestinians that the path of peace
and moderation is far better for themselves than the Hamas path of
rejectionism and tyranny.  
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| The Middle East |
Above: Damage from Hezbollah rockets on an apartment in
Haifa during the 2006 conflict.
Top right: Members of Hamas militant wing, dressed as suicide
bombers at a rally.
Bottom right: Heart of the matter: Old Jerusalem, a divided city
and one of the holiest areas for both Jews and Muslims.
What is the Israeli vision of a solution to the West Bank issue
and the Hamas issue?  Where can progress realistically be made
and where can Israel take the initiative in moving the situation
forward?  What lessons have been learned on the Israeli side from
Operation Cast Lead?
My answer to the last question outlines Israel’s vision of the
solution. It is ‘two states for two peoples’, the existing state of
Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people living side by side in
peace and security with the future Palestinian state as the nation-
state of the Palestinian people. The situation brought about by
Hamas rule in Gaza is a major obstacle to the realisation of this
vision. The population of Gaza is hostage in the hands of Hamas.  Operation Cast Lead to end them. These
It came to power in 2006 in elections which its opponents, Fatah,
claim were conducted fraudulently. In 2007, Hamas eliminated its
Fatah rivals in Gaza in a violent coup, killing more than 700 Fatah
members. All this has been a tragedy for the Gazan people. In
2005, the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlers gave an
opportunity for Gaza to become a blueprint for peaceful Palestinian
54 | | winter ‘10 |
self-government and prosperity. Instead,
the Hamas regime, in line with its fanatical
religious ideology, though it could no longer
kill significant numbers of Israelis with
suicide bombings, escalated its rocket and
mortar attacks against southern Israel.  In
the four years before Israel disengaged,
the rocket and mortar attacks had totalled
2,386, or about 10 per week. In the year
after the disengagement, until Hamas’
violent takeover in June 2007, they doubled
to 21.4 per week. In the year after that, until
the start of the ceasefire in June 2008,
they rose to an average of 63.6 attacks per
week and doubled again when Hamas ended
the ceasefire at the end of 2008, when
Israel finally had no option but to launch its
facts indicate that Hamas is not interested
in achieving Palestinian self-government but
in giving effect to the mandate in its Charter
for the destruction of Israel.
The solution to the Hamas issue lies in
the hands of Hamas itself. Israel agrees with

the conditions set down by the Quartet (UN, US, EU and Russia) for
Hamas to enter peace negotiations: (1) recognition of Israel’s right
to exist, (2) renunciation of violent methods, (3) consent to abide
by existing agreements reached between Israel and the Palestinian
Authority. If it accepts these conditions, Israel is ready to negotiate
with it.  on. Neither did settlements ever prevent
As for lessons to be learned from Cast Lead, the Israel Defence
Forces always try to improve their techniques aimed at minimising
civilian casualties consistent with their military goals. Their internal
investigations since the end of the operation have been focused on
learning from mistakes made and putting new policies in place to
avoid them in future. One has to wonder, though, about the singling
out of Israel by the world media for criticism of its fight against
terror. Many western allies fight terror around the world, and their
| The Middle East |
right campaign against terror often tragically
results in unintentional harm to civilians, in
numbers much greater than those claimed
- and not substantiated by proof – against
Israel. This is a clear case of double
standards. Israelis are fighting for their lives,
and too many in the international community
are busy trying to tie Israel’s hands in a
way that makes it harder and harder for
Israel to defend itself. But let’s remember:
the enemies of Israel are the enemies of
Western civilisation. If Israel were to fall, it
would not be the last to fall.
The Palestinians have reiterated that
any recommencement of settlement
construction is a walk away issue.  What is
your Government’s position domestically in
relation to this issue and would agreement
to an extension of the moratorium possibly
precipitate an election?
It is impossible to comment on whether
an extension of the moratorium would
bring about an election. At the moment, it
seems that this issue is being used by the
Palestinian side as an excuse to obstruct
the progress of the negotiations. It is
important to remember that this moratorium
was announced by Israel last November, 12
months ago, as a once-off goodwill gesture
to encourage the Palestinian Authority to re-
enter talks. They delayed doing so until only
three weeks remained of the moratorium,
and immediately said that they would walk
away unless it was renewed. Now they
try to place the blame on Israel for the
possibility that the talks may collapse. The
moratorium applied to new building within
existing settlements – crèches, schools,
synagogues etc. Its expiry does not affect
the Government’s policy of building no new
settlements in the West Bank.
The issue of settlements never prevented
peace negotiations from taking place in the
past. The Camp David-Taba talks of 2000-
01 and Palestinian President Abbas’ talks
with former Prime Minister Olmert in 2008
took place while settlement building went
Israel from implementing a peace agreement
in the past. In the peace treaty with Egypt
concluded in 1979, Israel’s side of the
bargain was to withdraw from the huge Sinai
territory it had occupied in its 1967 war of
self-defence against Egypt. It did so, and
in the process removed all of the Israeli
settlements in the Sinai.  
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| The Middle East |

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

You stated that the ‘moratorium applied to
new building within existing settlements
– crèches, schools, synagogues etc’ It
has been  widely  reported that the Israeli
State now plan on constructing new
houses in East Jerusalem. How do you
reconcile this fact?  
The city of Jerusalem, as Israel’s
eternal capital and the focus of the Jewish
people’s national aspirations for 2,000
years (more than 700 references to it
in the Bible), is in a separate category
from the West Bank and thus was never
included in the moratorium on building
within settlements. New building of
houses there for both its Jewish and Arab
residents continues subject to a long
approval process under the planning rules
of the municipality. It would be as illegal to
freeze the building of Jewish houses in the
eastern part of Jerusalem as it would be to
freeze the building of Arab houses in the
western part of the city. 

A humanitarian relief flotilla was

intercepted on route to Gaza by the Israeli
State with tragic consequences. What are
you thoughts on this operation and do you
think that the IDF will learn from this and
change tactics next time? 
The circumstances of the flotilla in June
this year were indeed tragic. No one wanted
nine people to die. However, the incident
was grossly misrepresented at the time.
Now, the facts are all out there for anyone
to see. Most of the boats and passengers
in the flotilla were well-meaning people,
even if their views of Gaza were misguided
and based on simplistic propaganda. 
However, there was one ship which caused
all the trouble, the Mavi Marmara. It was
hijacked by about forty members of the
Al-Qaeda-linked so-called ‘Islamic charity’
organisation, the IHH. They took over the
ship, armed themselves, and refused
to co-operate peacefully with the Israeli
Navy. They broadcast anti-semitic slogans
and prepared for combat and martyrdom. 
To call those people ‘peace activists’ is
absolutely ridiculous. Nine of them were
killed in the subsequent struggle. It was
unfortunate, but it was certainly no war
crime by the Israeli military. The Israeli
personnel who landed on the ship merely
defended themselves as best they could
under a ferocious onslaught, the savagery
of which is clearly evident in footage of the
incident.

56 | | winter ‘10 |

No one can deny that the outcome was unfortunate. But, the
truth is the Israeli Navy prepared for weeks before the incident; the
boats coming were given ample warning to halt and be boarded;
all complied, except the one ship as above which was hijacked by
terrorist fundamentalists who wanted a struggle.
The IDF will continue to patrol the waters off Gaza to prevent the
illicit import of weapons and armaments into Hamas-controlled Gaza.  how would Israel like to see the region
That is the unfortunate reality – Hamas is at war with us, it controls
Gaza, so obviously we have to restrict certain goods and persons
from getting into Gaza by sea.   neighbours? How realistic is this?
What are the major international relations concerns for the
Israeli political leadership?  Do you believe that there has been
any noticeable change in attitude towards Mr. Netanyahu’s
administration from the US and the European Union?
Outside the Middle East, the Government gives great importance
to improving our relations with India and China. During his first year
in office, Foreign Minister Lieberman carried out extensive tours of
various countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in
Africa and Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Colombia in South America.  sum game. But I am a believer in the win-win
With these countries we have signed co-operation agreements in
areas such as the development of agriculture and water resources.  Theodore Herzl, more than a century ago in
In addition, in the last year Israel has opened a new embassy in
Turkmenistan and consulates in Sao Paolo and St. Petersburg, and
re-opened its embassy in New Zealand. We plan to open shortly
another embassy on the African continent, in Accra, Ghana.
Our relations with the United States were and are of great
importance to us. The US is our most important ally. Its efforts in
the past and its renewed efforts at present to promote the peace
process between Israel and the Palestinians are much appreciated
by the Government and people of Israel. The peace process also
needs the support of the European Union, as a major actor in the
international arena, and indeed the EU is actively involved through
the Quartet. It is imperative that only ‘honest brokers’ – that
is, elements that are equally friends to both the Israeli and the
Palestinian – are involved in this process. Anyone who has no basic
sympathy with both the Palestinians and Israelis narratives cannot
really help the advancement of reconciliation of this conflict.
How do Israelis view international media reporting of the situation
in the region?
One cannot view the international media as a monolith: they vary
much from place to place. However, in some countries, there is an
insufficient understanding of the complexities of the conflict and of
Israel’s position regarding its security needs.  In the media outlets
of these countries, coverage of the conflict is either superficial
or heavily slanted towards one side. There is a tendency towards
sensationalism, reflected in lurid and misleading headlines,
manipulative editing and publishing of provocative photographs
that also mislead. Such coverage reinforces clichéd and simplistic
concepts instead of explaining the deeper story. Sometimes, there
is a tendency among journalists to be indifferent to Israel’s security
concerns. You know, we are a country the same size as Leinster,
surrounded by 22 Arab states and Iran. Many of those neighbours
would like to see us disappear! It takes a real effort of imagination
for a journalist coming from a peaceful, unthreatened, neutral
country surrounded by water to appreciate our security concerns and
| The Middle East |
see the wider strategic picture in the region. 
It is easier to look for victims – the ‘human
story’ – and easier still to look for them on
one side only. 
In the short to medium term (10-15 years),
develop so it can be secure as a state and
benefit from economic opportunities with its
As President Peres has often stated, we
visualise a future in which Israel exists side
by side in peaceful and mutually fruitful co-
operation with its Arab neighbours. One of
the misconceptions fostered by superficial
media coverage is the idea that Israel’s
welfare can only be won at the expense of
the Arabs, and vice-versa – in other words,
that the Israel-Arab relationship is a zero-
vision outlined by the founder of Zionism,
his book ‘Altneuland’, a vision that foresees
a future of development and prosperity for
both sides in the absence of conflict.  How
realistic is this vision? They say that in
the Middle East, the realist is the one who
believes in miracles. 
Many aspects of Israel’s history seem
like miracles. We lost 1% of our population
in the War of Independence against five
invading armies, a war in which the military
commander gave only a 50% chance of
Israel’s survival. Since then we have had to
fight five further wars for our existence, at the
same time managing to integrate immigrants
from 102 countries speaking 82 languages,
including a million immigrants from the
former Soviet Union and Ethiopia in the last
decade of the previous millennium alone. 
We have developed a hi-tech economy that
produces some of the world’s most advanced
products in the areas of communications,
medicine and the environment. Our start-up
companies are at the forefront of innovation,
bringing new scientific discoveries into the
arena of practical application. They are a
driving force of our economy. The US, with a
population of 320 million, is first in the world
for companies quoted on the NASDAQ.  We,
with 7.3 million people, are second, not far
behind it with 121 companies! 
If an end to the conflict can be achieved,
these developments can be shared with our
closest neighbours, improving the prosperity
and quality of life of all the inhabitants of the
region. 
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