ELIAMEP: On the 28th of May the US president Mr. Obama expressed his opinion on this delicate issue and stated that his government was in favor of and hoped to see the realization of a two state-solution in the future. Would you personally say that Mr. Obama intends a new stance towards the Middle East?

H.E. Mr. Ali Yahya: “President Obama has stated he is committed to Israel and the peace process.  In his speech in Cairo he stood before the entire Muslim world and said that the bonds between America and Israel are unshakeable and that the US is committed to Israel’s security.  Our bonds are indeed deep and strong.

President Obama also hosted the first meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.  In his recent address to the Assembly, the President of the United States called for the renewal of peace negotiations with no preconditions and stressed the fact that all parties in the region must live up to their responsibilities in order for the peace process to move forward. He noted that Arab states would have to recognize Israel’s legitimacy, which in our view is the crux of our problems with the Arab world. This is very positive.  Prime Minister Netanyahu has stated that he is willing to meet with any Arab leader at any time with no preconditions to advance the peace process.  Naturally, Israel strongly supports any initiative aimed at achieving a real peace with the Palestinians and the Arab world fully recognizing the legitimacy of Israel as the state of the Jewish people.”

Mr. Netanyahu declared during his first foreign policy speech at  Bar Ilan University on the 14 of June 2009 that Israel would recognize the existence of a demilitarized Palestinian state, under the condition that the Palestinian leaders accept Israel as a Jewish state. Do you think that these conditions put forward could be accepted from the other side?

“Demilitarization is critical for peace because the only peace that will endure is the one you can defend.  We cannot have rockets raining down on us after making concessions, which is what occurred after our withdrawal from Gaza.  However, in Israel’s view, the main obstacle to peace has been the persistent refusal by the Palestinians and a large part Arab world for that matter, to recognize Israel’s legitimacy as the nation –state of the Jewish people. Of course, there are non -Jews in Israel that enjoy and will continue to enjoy equal rights. The Arab citizens of Israel vote in the Knesset and are represented in every form of life and have equal political rights.  But if Israel is being asked to recognize a Palestinian state as the nation-state of the Palestinian people, then it is only natural for Israel to expect that the Palestinians fully accept the State of Israel.  This is the essence of the peace process and the idea of two states for two peoples.  There is simply no way around it.

To achieve our common goal of peace, the renewal of the negotiations is an urgent matter.  We do not have the luxury of endless chattering and posing preconditions on talks.  We must put our problems on the table and resolve them.”

ELIAMEP: Regarding the aftermath of the contested Iranian elections- do you think that if Mr. Moussavi would have been elected as new president, that both countries would maintain a different stance than that witnessed during the era of Mr.  Ahmadinejad?

H.E. Mr. Ali Yahya: “I cannot make speculations about hypothetical situations. However, I will point out two things:  First, unfortunately, Iran’s hostility towards Israel is not part of the political debate in the country.  There is no dissension among conflicting elites in their animosity towards Israel.  Second, the harsh reality is that President Ahmadinejad is still in power and enjoys the support of the powerful security forces like the Basiji Martyrs and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.  He is continuing to deny the Holocaust, and is threatening to wipe Israel off the map. Iran continues to support terrorist groups like the Hamas and Hizbullah, and thumb its nose at the international community with regard to its nuclear program. It is also developing missile technology.  We can see this with the latest reports about a secret nuclear plant and long range missile tests.  Iran combines four dangerous elements: a hidden nuclear agenda, long range missiles that can reach Israel and even Europe, clear hostile intentions towards Israel and the area, and a quest for regional hegemony. We are speaking about a political regime that does not hesitate to use harsh repression against its own people, which supports terrorism and which is trying to acquire the ultimate weapon. It is not only a grave threat to Israel, but the entire world. We must join hands and act now.”

ELIAMEP: The Israeli newspaper “Haaretz” carried a survey, in which 71% of the respondents were in favour of the creation of a demilitarised Palestinian state- but on the other hand, around 70% of Israelis believe that this “project” will not be realised in the forthcoming future. How would you explain this attitude?

H.E. Mr. Ali Yahya: “It is a sign of both the hope and disappointment in the hearts of Israelis. Look, we have tried everything. For the last 16 years Israel has changed six Prime Ministers all of whom tried to advance the peace process in one form or the other. We signed several peace agreements with the Palestinians and offered them far reaching compromises which fulfilled almost all of their declared aspirations. They rebuked them. We uprooted settlements and evacuated territories both with and without agreements. The response to all of our concessions and proposals was more terrorism.

Our withdrawal from major Palestinian cities and hundreds of Palestinian villages at the beginning of the Oslo process in the mid ‘90s was met with Palestinian suicide bombings in Israeli urban centers.  The response to Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s far reaching compromises to Yasser Arafat in 2000 in Camp David was the deadliest wave of Palestinian terrorism in the history of Israel.  Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon led to Hizbullah rocket attacks and our soldiers being kidnapped.   And Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s decision to uproot settlements and evacuate Gaza was met with 12,000 Hamas rockets raining down on innocent Israeli citizens in cities like Sderot in the South, not to mention the fact that a kidnapped Israeli soldier is still being held in captivity by this terrorist organization.

So while Israelis yearn for peace, they are naturally apprehensive.  But you can be absolutely certain that if a real peace agreement is offered to them which truly recognizes Israel’s legitimacy and ends hostility against it, the people of Israel will strongly embrace it.”

ELIAMEP: Lately, a challenging thesis has been put forward by experts stating that if Israel and Palestine would join the EU, their internal problems would be dissolved. Could you support such an idea for dealing with problems at the supranational level?

H.E. Mr. Ali Yahya: “It is a very noble idea. Israel and the EU are very close not only in terms of their cooperation but share the same values.  But the truth is that while international mediation is very important in helping resolve the conflict, at the end of the day the solution to our problems can only come through direct negotiations between us and the Palestinians. No mediator or supranational body can impose a solution.

Of course, this does not mean the EU does not have an important role to play in terms of supporting the peace process and regional cooperation. The EU’s experience in reconciliation and integration can be important in the region. Israel appreciates the EU’s role in promoting dialogue between both sides through its cooperation with Israel, its economic aid to the Palestinians and through its strengthening of the institutions and capacity of the Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas in order to also deal with extremist elements.

The EU’s European Neighbourhood Policy is important in fostering regional cooperation. Israel strongly supports the goals of the Barcelona Process and the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership provides a framework of regional cooperation that includes Israel, Europe and moderate Arab states to help promote and consolidate peace.  It is important to keep this kind of cooperation depoliticized allowing us to work together to deal with common challenges like the environment, pollution, the lack of water resources, etc.

Of course, regional cooperation with the EU is not a panacea nor is it the solution to all of the area’s problems.  Nevertheless, it is a very positive framework for approaching challenges and an important building block for creating mutual trust and cooperation in our region. We the people of the Mediterranean share a common region and a long history.  The Mediterranean Sea is our sea, and as countries in the area we have a shared responsibility in making sure it becomes a sea of peace, prosperity and dignity for all peoples in the region.”