Israel doesn’t need an limitless warfare, Ofir Akunis, the consul common of Israel in New York, instructed JNS in a sit-down interview at his workplace on Thursday. “We, the Jewish people, prefer peace,” he mentioned.
“We will not be in Gaza once the hostages are released and once we are sure that there are no more terrorists or arsenal of terrorists,” he added.
Akunis has been representing the State of Israel in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Delaware since Might 1.
Starting in 2015, he held quite a lot of Cupboard positions, together with because the minister of innovation, science and know-how.
In 2020-21, Akunis served as minister of regional cooperation. Throughout that interval, Israel signed the Abraham Accords peace treaties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.
On Thursday, Akunis emphasised Israel’s lack of curiosity in staying in Gaza long-term.
“We weren’t in Gaza prior to October 7, there was a ceasefire. We didn’t start the fire, they did. We are there because they forced us to be there after almost 20 years,” he mentioned.
“And where is the world? The world does not know the facts—I am here to refresh their memory,” he added.
Equally, he acknowledged, Israel wouldn’t be in Lebanon if it weren’t for Hezbollah incessantly focusing on Israel for the final 25 years. “We don’t want to be in Lebanon. There is no territorial conflict between Israel and Lebanon,” he mentioned.
The Gaza Strip may very well be as affluent because the United Arab Emirates if not for Hamas, he instructed JNS.
Addressing antisemitic protests in New York, Akunis mentioned, “I can’t stand the idea that they are burning American flags in the streets of Manhattan or that they waved the PLO flag 500 meters from Capitol Hill a few minutes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech [to a joint session of Congress] last July.”
“This is unacceptable. If you want America to die, you don’t need to be here. Actually, if you ask me, they need to make them leave the States,” he added.
“I represent the biggest Jewish community in the world aside from Israel,” he famous.” It’s an enormous honor to be an envoy for the State of Israel and the Jewish individuals.”
Q: Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who was broadly praised for his insurance policies vis-à-vis Israel, was reelected. Do you anticipate the identical in his new time period?
Akunis: We respect the choice of the American individuals. I mentioned final Tuesday that the American individuals would vote for the candidate they see match for themselves, not for Israel. They did. They could have voted on points like value of residing, inflation and immigration and naturally on overseas coverage. Israel is at all times a giant difficulty.
As an Israeli diplomat, I respect their choice and we’re prepared and joyful to work with the brand new administration as we’re working with the present administration till mid-January.
We all know President Trump from his earlier time period and all of us keep in mind the very optimistic choices that he made relating to the State of Israel. He moved the U.S. embassy from my metropolis, Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem, he acknowledged Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan heights, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared the settlements in Judea and Samaria not inconsistent with worldwide legislation.
We face new challenges. Iran was a problem additionally in his first time period. We’re trying ahead to working along with President Trump and his administration on the warfare and different points as nicely.
What ought to we anticipate from President Joe Biden within the subsequent and final two months of his mandate?
A: You need to ask him. Let’s discuss in regards to the elephant within the room, and that’s the finish of the warfare. I instructed Galei Tzahal [Israel’s Army Radio] at present that we are not looking for an limitless warfare. We, the Jewish individuals, want peace. We had been compelled to defend ourselves and it’s nonetheless occurring. The second we all know that the three targets of the warfare, that are the return of the hostages, the elimination of Hamas in Gaza and of Hezbollah south of the Litani River, are met, the warfare will finish.
I don’t know if this may occur earlier than mid-January. All of us want for Hamas to launch the hostages proper now, with out situations. Gaza can not return to what it has been from the summer time of 2007, when Hamas took over the administration within the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority.
Hezbollah has been attacking Israel for the final 25 years. Lebanon is a rustic. They need to implement their legal guidelines. We don’t need to be in Lebanon. There isn’t any territorial battle between Israel and Lebanon.
I feel there’s enormous potential. I mentioned it additionally as minister of science and as minister of regional cooperation. I feel that the Gaza Strip may be as profitable because the Emirates. The one motive it doesn’t occur is Hamas. They’re utilizing their very own individuals as human shields, their kindergartens as navy bases to fireside missiles, it’s the identical in Lebanon.
Do you imagine we should always anticipate an enlargement of the Abraham Accords?
A: I served as minister of regional cooperation in 2020. Again then, earlier than the [U.S. presidential] elections [when Biden defeated Trump], we had been very near declaring that there have been two further Muslims nations that needed to be a part of the brand new Center East of peace and a part of the Abraham Accords.
Issues have modified however I hope that it’s going to occur within the close to future. We wish peace, we’re praying for peace, not warfare. The Iranians need warfare. I’m very joyful that the peace treaties with Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and the Emirates are so robust. There are lots of of 1000’s of Israelis who’re coming right here to New York by Dubai.
I wish to say that it isn’t applicable for American airways to briefly cancel the path to Tel Aviv whereas Emirates remains to be flying. There’s a line from Dubai to Tel Aviv with a number of flights a day.
I name on American airways proper right here, proper now to fly to Tel Aviv as quickly as attainable. It’s crucial for me, I say it as an official diplomat of the State of Israel. That is unacceptable. My expectation from allies is to be with us when it’s good and likewise in tough occasions. So renew it.
There’s a Hostage and Lacking Households Discussion board department in New York. What’s your relationship with the households of the hostages and what initiatives have you ever put in place to publicize their plight?
A: I’m asking to see each household who involves this metropolis. I even did this as a minister within the Israeli Cupboard earlier than I used to be appointed as consul common.
I really like and admire them as a result of they’re very robust and courageous. I met right here Ayelet Samerano, who noticed her son being kidnapped by an UNRWA worker. I feel there ought to be lots of of individuals protesting in entrance of the U.N. constructing about it. She got here right here and instructed me her story.
I met redeemed Hamas captive Mia Schem right here and heard her horrific testimony in regards to the tunnels of Gaza, in addition to siblings Maya and Itay Regev and plenty of extra. I feel that our obligation is to place the worldwide neighborhood below strain for them to strain Hamas.
It was a really incorrect concept to place Israel below strain. Hamas kidnapped them, they burned individuals alive, they raped girls. We wish our individuals again of their homeland with their households, youngsters like Ariel [Akunis points at a picture of 4-year-old Ariel Bibas], Holocaust survivors, previous girls, IDF subject observers. We noticed horrible footage from October 7. The world should put Hamas below strain, that is the one option to convey them residence and allow them to go free.
It can occur. They won’t be there endlessly. It’s very tough as a result of if leaders around the globe, governments or communities blame Israel, the enemy sees it.
I say it in each assembly and each occasion. I quote Moses, one of many bravest leaders of the Jewish individuals, who mentioned to Pharaoh, ‘Let my people go.’ That’s what I’m saying now.
We’re launching campaigns and initiatives on a regular basis although the media just isn’t reporting on it. There’s at all times ongoing talks to result in their launch. [The late Hamas chief Yahya] Sinwar refused, and people who see themselves as answerable for Hamas need to get us to conform to their situations. However the tide is popping.
We’ll convey our situations to the desk. We is not going to be in Gaza as soon as the hostages are launched and as soon as we’re positive that there aren’t any extra terrorists or terrorists’ arsenal.
We weren’t in Gaza previous to October 7, there was a ceasefire. We didn’t begin the fireplace, they did. We’re there as a result of they compelled us to be there after [we left] virtually 20 years [ago, during the disengagement in 2005].
And the place is the world? The world doesn’t know the information. I’m right here to refresh their reminiscence.
Are you at the moment engaged in any initiatives to make inroads with the Jewish neighborhood in New York?
A: I symbolize the most important Jewish neighborhood on the planet other than Israel. It’s an enormous honor to be an envoy for the State of Israel and the Jewish individuals. I’ve been right here since Might 1.
I met the Persians, the Bukharans, the Moroccans, the Greeks, the massive organizations like UJA-Federation of New York, the American Jewish Committee, the Zionist Group of America and plenty of others. There’s a direct connection between us. One weekend, I discovered myself in 5 completely different synagogues in lower than 15 hours. We discuss very overtly.
The very first mission I talked about was antisemitism on faculty campuses.
We cooperate and collaborate with Jewish organizations on concepts on tips on how to cease it. Now it’s quieter. I’m very joyful as a result of the police and leaders declared that sufficient is sufficient. It wasn’t solely towards the Jewish college students or Israel, they screamed ‘Death to America’, they burned the American flag. That is unacceptable.
I keep in mind being 5 or 6 years previous once I first noticed this on tv, nevertheless it occurred in Tehran, not Manhattan, and in Cairo when the opposition who protested towards President [Anwar] Sadat’s [1979] peace treaty with Israel screamed ‘Death to America’ and burned the American flag along with the Israeli flag. It’s at all times collectively.
Now take a look at this [Akunis points at American and Israeli flags placed side-by-side in his office]. This displays the fantastic thing about the U.S.-Israeli alliance. I’m a giant admirer of the US. I need to assist this nation assist itself.
I can’t stand the concept that they’re burning American flags within the streets of Manhattan or that they waved the PLO flag 500 meters from Capitol Hill a couple of minutes after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech final July.
That is unacceptable. If you’d like America to die, you don’t have to be right here. Really, for those who ask me, they should make them depart the States. Though a few of them who had been afraid to point out themselves wore masks, I noticed a number of clips of people that had been with out masks. Ask them to depart. It’s not freedom of speech.
I’m for freedom of speech, I’m for human rights, but when somebody says they need to kill me, I have to defend myself, I shouldn’t be naive. They mentioned it and so they did it as soon as [Akunis points at an image from the 9/11 attacks]. No one needs this once more.
You higher imagine me, once they have the flexibility to, they may do it once more. I do know it from the State of Israel. I mentioned as a minister that the very first likelihood our enemies have, they may assault and attempt to destroy us. They understood that October 7 was the best time. They need to commit genocide.
I’ll by no means settle for or be apathetic or detached to individuals utilizing the phrase “genocide” towards our nation. We had been almost exterminated by the Nazis earlier than they had been stopped by the British and the Individuals. Hamas tried to commit genocide towards our individuals on October 7, 2023, after which on October 8, Hezbollah began to fireside rockets towards Nahariya, Kiryat Shmona, the cities and villages of the north, and these days even Haifa and different locations.
They’re saying that they need to destroy the State of Israel. Hamas wrote it within the first chapter of their constitution. Within the first paragraph, they wrote that they need to smash the State of Israel and set up an Islamic state as a substitute.
The Center East nowadays now not contains [the late Hezbollah chief Hassan] Nasrallah and Sinwar, the cruelest enemies of the Jewish individuals within the final 20 years, and it’s a enormous alternative.
Within the darkness, you’ll be able to see a ray of sunshine, and I can see a number of rays of sunshine. I want to see within the subsequent few years Lebanon as an unbiased state. Lebanon was once a Christian and really trendy state with pubs, discotheques and style. It was the Switzerland of the Center East. The Syrians, the PLO after which Hezbollah ruined it. I hope that in the future, we are going to signal a peace treaty with Lebanon.
What do you consider the explosion of antisemitism on campus?
A: I met college students proper right here in my bureau and I’m nonetheless speaking with them. We’re for them. I talked with the lawyer common, with the mayor, the governor in regards to the campuses. They’re all very dedicated and so they instructed me that they won’t let these protesters cross the crimson line. It’s a lot better now and I hope it’s going to proceed.
Our college students should present power to the opposite facet, I’m not towards criticism, however to begin with behave your self, you’ll not scream or be violent. I’m very joyful that our college students arise for his or her rights.
What do you consider President Biden’s response to Oct. 7?
A: I’ll always remember President Biden’s declaration on October 7 and the ‘Don’t’ speech [in October 2023, directed at Israel’s enemies thinking of joining Hamas’s war against the Jewish state]. I respect it, I recognize it, he got here to the State of Israel with Secretary of State Blinken. I mentioned it as a minister, it was an excellent factor to do.
Every so often, there are variations, not in regards to the technique, and never about main beliefs like the truth that Iran can not maintain nuclear weapons and that we want peace in our area, however about particular points. Lots of people talked about Rafah. [The IDF going into] Rafah was obligatory. We’re holding the Philadelphi Hall [on Gaza border with Sinai] as a result of we have to be there, Hamas nonetheless exists in Gaza. They’re damaged however some models are nonetheless there. They need to smuggle weapons from Egypt by way of the hall to Gaza and use it towards our individuals. We have to be there.
As soon as we guarantee that it’s quiet and that there now not are Hamas terrorists attempting to smuggle weapons, we received’t keep. We by no means mentioned we might be there endlessly. We’re defending the harmless individuals of Gaza whereas Hamas is doing the other, utilizing them as human shields.
My associates used to ship me footage from Gaza displaying how they shield youngsters. In the meantime, Hamas steals humanitarian assist and as a substitute of bringing it to the inhabitants, takes it to the tunnels and for the good thing about the fear group.
Every so often, there are variations. I keep in mind the variations between [Prime Minister Yitzhak] Shamir and [President George H.W.] Bush, [Prime Minister] Golda [Meir] and [President Richard] Nixon, [President Jimmy] Carter and [Prime Minister Menachem] Start, however we’re speaking about our completely different opinions. On the whole, I feel that we’re one unit, we’re the forefront of the West within the Center East for the US and Europe.
On the whole, it’s a really robust alliance. President Biden declared himself as a Zionist, and I like this, as a result of I’m a Zionist.
I’m a proud Jew, proud Zionist and proud Israeli. I’m typically requested in regards to the order. My reply could be very easy: Zionism got here from Judaism and the State of Israel comes from each.
What’s your message to the Diaspora and the individuals of Israel again residence?
We’re right here for the neighborhood. The Israeli consulate is their residence. We work for the Jewish communities and we’re right here for the Israelis. The title of this place is Beit Israel [the House of Israel]. They want us not just for technical points but in addition for help. That is an open place. We’ll proceed to cooperate and meet all of the Jewish communities, not solely in New York but in addition in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Ohio, Cleveland, New Jersey, town of Philadelphia and different locations.
I ask them to take care of unity. The Jewish individuals got here from completely different backgrounds. They got here to Israel from Latin America, Poland, Morocco, Greece and different locations with all their variations. It’s the fantastic thing about our individuals. Once we felt the risks of their present scenario, we united, and I ask them to maintain on being united, as a result of after we present unity, our enemies see it, and after we are divided, they see it too. Once we are one pressure, we’re a lot stronger. Keep united through the warfare but in addition as soon as the warfare finishes, and I hope that may occur quickly.
These are historic occasions, days we are going to keep in mind for the remainder of our lives. Folks will speak about this within the far future as nicely. I don’t assume that it’s much less vital to symbolize my individuals right here as consul common than it’s to serve them as minister and member of Knesset, due to all of the issues we talked about together with antisemitism, the warfare and the truth that different nations around the globe try to destroy us. I’m right here to defend our individuals and I’ll proceed to do it. That is the mission of my life.
