ERETZ
Aviv Ezra
Ceasefire Holds but Issues Remain Unresolved Departing Israeli Consul General says speaking out for Israel and stable Israeli government are critical. DON COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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hen I spoke with Aviv Ezra, Israel’s consul general to the Midwest, it was Day 2 of what would become the 11-Day “Operation Guardian of the Walls,” which began in response to Hamas rockets flying toward Jerusalem. During the past 48 hours, a thousand rockets had been fired at Israel and Ezra’s 80-year-old parents were in a bomb shelter as were a million other Israelis. Though he described the present as “extremely tense,” he was optimistic about the future. “We are very focused on the terrible events going on, but we have to zoom out to see the full situation,” he told me. “We have a strong, sovereign, independent Jewish state. We will continue to strive and succeed, and we will overcome this.” Ezra, who is completing five years as consul general in July, will soon be returning home after 14 years representing Israel in the
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United States in a variety of capacities. He’s seen a lot and shared some of his thoughts. Asked if the operation was another instance of “mowing the lawn,” a term that refers to periodic Israeli military action to degrade Hamas’ ability to harm Israel, Ezra doesn’t think so. “This is different because red lines were crossed,” he says, noting quantity and quality of the rockets being fired, and that some were being shot at Jerusalem. “We are dealing with a radical murderous regime in Hamas. You cannot seek an equilibrium with an entity that vows in its charter to annihilate you,” he says. “The cabinet will have to make a decision to kick the can down the road or confront the challenges.” SOMETHING TROUBLING AND NEW Stopping Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups is something Israel has been engaged in for decades, but
the riots that broke out in Israel, particularly in mixed Arab-Jewish towns, was something different and new. “It is disappointing and frustrating, and I am extremely concerned about it,” Ezra says. “The feeling was that we are making dramatic progress in assimilating Arabs into Israeli society. Not that they all need to become Zionists, but we have been getting to the point where they are part of the living fabric of what Israel is about. “[Israeli Arabs] have complaints, as do many Jewish Israelis, but there is a process to follow. It is wrong to taint all Israeli Arabs as radicals. The majority are peace-loving people and oppose it, but there is indifference and silence from those against it. This problem will linger way after the rockets stop.” Asked about Israelis targeting Arabs, he explained, “Radicals can be on either side, but the issue is not the actions of the radicals but the response by leadership,” noting that Israel had spoken out and taken action to stop them, while the Palestinian Authority had not done the same about theirs. Hamas and its radical supporters “are looking for an excuse to exploit and explode the situation, and it is civilians in Israel and Gaza who are paying the price,” he said. He is disheartened by the coverage of the conflict, and while it’s not a new problem, it hasn’t been getting any better. While he doesn’t like or accept it, he understands it. “There is a lot of fake news,” he says, “and there is not an in-depth understanding of what is happening today. There is a learning curve to know what is going on and why. “There are a lot of other global problems. There is a pandemic. There are other things on their minds,” he says. To understand what is going on “you have to understand Hamas. You can’t just read 140 characters or use a single shot of footage to understand the whole story. If so, you’ll get it wrong, and that is what is happening.” SPEAK OUT FOR ISRAEL To counter this lack of knowledge, he urges the pro-Israel community to speak out. “We need to be more active and take a stand. Indifference is very dangerous,” he says, noting that Palestinians and their supporters are active online in a way that Jews and pro-Israel voices are not.
