Transcript [00:00] My son is dead because we sent our [00:03] troops in on foot. We didn't stra bomb [00:06] population centers. We went from house [00:08] to house and he went into a kamas booby [00:11] trap. I believe that the government of [00:13] Iran will fall. The Ayatollas will fall. [00:16] And when that happens, we're going to [00:17] have an entirely new Middle East. [00:21] Good afternoon everybody. My name is [00:23] Alex Trayman. I'm the CEO and Jerusalem [00:26] bureau chief of the Jerusalem news [00:29] syndicate and it is a distinct honor and [00:32] a privilege to sit here today uh with a [00:36] friend. Uh I will read the official bio [00:39] because uh you guys sent it to me and I [00:41] want to make sure I get every detail uh [00:43] correct. But I think this is actually [00:44] going to be one of the most fascinating [00:46] uh sessions actually of this entire [00:48] conference. [00:49] >> I ask you a favor, skip it so we'll have [00:51] more time. [00:54] done. Everybody knows who you are. This [00:56] is a Israeli ambassador to the United [00:58] States, Dr. Yakil Lighter. [01:03] I was told specifically to read it, but [01:05] that's okay. Um, we'll just get started. [01:08] I think that you have a significant [01:10] advantage uh over some of the other [01:13] individuals that have sat in your [01:15] position. And I know that Prime Minister [01:16] Netanyahu has appointed several [01:20] ambassadors to the United States such as [01:23] uh Dr. Michael Orin and Ron Durmer who [01:26] bring an American uh cultural [01:30] understanding and sensibility to the [01:32] relationship uh the Israel US [01:34] relationship. Tell me a little bit about [01:36] um in your experience how being an [01:40] American [01:42] actually uh benefits managing this most [01:45] complex and important strategic [01:47] alliance. [01:49] >> Well, thank you. Uh it's good good to be [01:52] with you and good to be with you all [01:53] here. Um I'm not just an American, I [01:57] come from Scranton, Pennsylvania. [02:00] So, [02:02] so the prime minister thought that um [02:05] having come from the same hometown as [02:07] Joe Biden, I' I'd do good with the Trump [02:10] administration [02:14] now that now you're all woke up from [02:15] your afternoon nap. [02:19] Um, [02:22] I think you've all found in your [02:24] interactions with Israel and Israelis [02:27] that sometimes there are nuances in the [02:30] conversation that can get lost. [02:33] Somebody told me at the embassy, you [02:34] know, they came to Washington and they [02:36] were working in Congress and a staffer [02:39] would say, "Okay, so we'll meet for [02:41] coffee sometime soon." You know, they [02:43] thought they really had to go out for [02:45] coffee. you know, it was just a way of [02:47] saying goodbye and see you soon or [02:49] whatever. Um, and I think one of the [02:52] things that my predecessors, uh, Durmer, [02:55] Orin, and others, uh, have is that, um, [02:59] we can understand the nuances in the [03:01] language, the syntax, [03:04] uh, what's really lurking behind [03:06] the discussions. And um I I think it's [03:09] an advantage, but we've had wonderful [03:13] Israeli ambassadors that were sabers [03:15] sabars uh as well. So it's not just uh [03:19] Americans, but I use that to my [03:20] advantage for sure. [03:21] >> But how important is it right now [03:23] especially to make sure that your [03:25] counterparts when you're sitting across [03:27] the the table understand exactly what it [03:29] is uh that you're saying and and how do [03:32] you read them? [03:34] Well, in diplomacy, there's also the uh [03:37] advantage of creative ambiguity. [03:40] You don't always want to know exactly [03:42] what the other side is saying, right? [03:43] You don't always want them to know [03:45] exactly what you're saying. No, all [03:47] kidding around aside, uh it's important. [03:49] Obviously, it's important. Clarity is [03:50] important uh to the to the best uh we we [03:53] can reach it. And um that's what we try [03:55] to achieve. Uh I think there's a great [03:58] deal of clarity between uh the the [04:01] Netanyahu and Trump administrations. [04:04] We've finessed [04:07] these wars together. The level of [04:10] collaboration between Israel and the [04:13] United States is unprecedented. You [04:15] can't fly 400 combat aircraft over the [04:19] skies of Iran without months and months [04:21] of preparation. So, let nobody fool you. [04:26] It wasn't just one day where somebody [04:27] decided, "Okay, we're going for it. Get [04:29] your planes up in the air." Please [04:31] understand we spent months on end [04:33] preparing that doesn't mean there was [04:35] decision to actually implement [04:38] but you could not have an option to [04:40] implement without preparation. [04:42] So it was there there's never been this [04:45] level of cooperation between our two [04:47] countries. I don't think frankly there's [04:49] ever been this level of cooperation [04:50] between between any two countries. And [04:53] what I tell my friends [04:58] and that's into in large measure to the [05:00] the quality to the understanding the [05:02] prime minister has of the United States [05:04] and of the Trump administration and the [05:07] appreciation that this administration [05:09] has for the relationship with Israel. So [05:13] I think that's a an important testament [05:14] to the status of affairs. [05:16] >> Yeah. The prime minister actually just [05:17] said in an interview this week on [05:19] channel 14 that he thought that getting [05:22] the president of the United States to [05:24] agree to fly side by side with Israel [05:26] also had to do with his thousands of [05:28] hours on American television. [05:33] >> If the prime minister said that, who am [05:35] I to argue with that? I mean, [05:37] >> well, let's talk a little bit about uh [05:39] let's talk a little bit about Iran. Uh [05:42] we flew [05:42] >> I spent a few hours on American [05:44] television as well, but I'll leave it to [05:46] the prime minister. Yes, [05:48] >> Israel and the United States flew for [05:50] six weeks side by side. Um like you [05:52] said, unprecedented military offensive [05:55] and yet somehow or another when it was [05:58] over, there seemed to be a lack of [06:01] clarity about what the the future will [06:03] be or what the endgame actually is. And [06:06] it seems as though there might even be [06:07] competing theories about whether or not [06:10] to completely go after and collapse this [06:13] regime. And how do you do that? [06:15] Obviously, the president has sort of [06:17] wavered back and forth. One day it's [06:18] like we're going to blow the hell out of [06:20] them, send them back to the the Middle [06:21] Ages, and then the next day it's well, [06:23] these are guys that we can negotiate [06:25] with. You know, which is it? And and [06:27] where do we go from here? [06:29] You know, something that u many [06:31] Americans have caught from the uh [06:34] Israelis is something called spilcus. [06:38] You heard you heard about that disease. [06:41] You know, it's like everything is [06:43] digital. You push a button and it's [06:45] done. [06:47] We're going to war. It'll take a few [06:49] weeks. It'll be over uh before you can [06:52] say Jiminy Cricket. And that's not how [06:54] war works. That's not how international [06:56] relations work. We're not all in AI mode [07:00] yet and you don't know exactly how a war [07:05] is going to unfold. But I will say this, [07:09] there is a [07:12] opinion [07:14] that we both share and that's that this [07:17] regime and Iran cannot remain standing. [07:20] That's the baseline. [07:24] Now, how do you how do you go about [07:27] achieving that end has nuances. [07:30] Now, there are differences between [07:32] Israel and the United States. We're 10 [07:34] million people. The United States is [07:36] 330. We're not a superpower. We're not [07:38] responsible for the global economy, [07:41] right? Simple. There are many vectors [07:44] that weigh into a decision. When vectors [07:47] weigh into our decision, one of them is [07:49] not the global economy. That's not our [07:51] responsibility. [07:52] One vector weighing into our decision [07:54] process is not keeping the straits of [07:56] Hormuz open. That's not our [07:58] responsibility. Our responsibility is [08:00] the existence of the state of Israel. [08:02] That is our vector. [08:05] And that is one vector that the United [08:07] States government weighs into its [08:09] decision-making process. So there are [08:12] going to be nuances [08:14] in terms of cadence in terms of choices [08:18] with regard to the various objects of [08:22] kinetic messaging shall we say [08:25] but that doesn't mean that the [08:27] fundamentals are in disagreement. So [08:30] throughout the process there's going to [08:31] be uh some uh tense exchanges and that's [08:36] okay. That's in the family. It's all in [08:38] the mishbah. Okay. It's not a problem. [08:40] We just have to finesse it. [08:44] >> You said that the attack, the six weeks [08:46] of attack happened because of months and [08:49] months of training and coordination, not [08:51] that the decision have been been taken, [08:53] but that in order to have the option to [08:55] take a decision. Would you say that uh [08:59] similar levels of communications on the [09:01] military level are taking place between [09:03] Israel and the United States uh in the [09:06] sense that there may be the option uh to [09:09] resume military activity in the future? [09:13] We're the junior partner and we've made [09:15] it clear that the president of the [09:17] United States is conducting this [09:19] operation against Iran. We are ready to [09:22] come back into kinetic activity should [09:24] the United States ask us to do so. If [09:27] the complete dl denuclearization of Iran [09:30] could take place without going back to [09:32] kinetic activity, we'll be very happy. [09:35] There are other approaches which include [09:38] strangle hold economically on Iran, [09:42] which include opening the straits of [09:43] Hormuz, and which include perhaps uh [09:46] clandestine operations to [09:49] uh empower the minorities of Iran and [09:52] the majority population of Iran that [09:54] opposes this government. So we have to [09:56] move on all fronts. If you ask me bottom [09:58] line when it comes to Iran, am I [10:00] convinced as someone who has studied [10:02] history deeply and has an appreciation [10:04] for [10:06] political machinations, [10:08] I believe that the government of Iran [10:10] will fall. The Ayatollas will fall. I [10:12] will not put a time framework on that [10:15] whether it's months or years but the [10:18] direction that we've taken the the [10:20] course of uh events is such that the [10:23] Ayatollas will fall and when that [10:25] happens we're going to have an entirely [10:27] new Middle East. [10:32] When you talk a little bit about time [10:34] frames and you look across the Middle [10:35] East you have dictators that have been [10:37] in power for years and for decades. Uh [10:40] in democracies like in the United States [10:42] and Israel, leaders can turn over very [10:45] quickly. Uh Israel is going to an [10:46] election soon. President Trump will be [10:48] in office for another two plus years. Uh [10:51] do the timelines of Democratic leaders [10:53] factor into the decision-m when it comes [10:56] to tackling enemies like your own? [10:59] >> They they always factor in, but there's [11:01] something I think that's more important. [11:02] And look, we're democracies. there's [11:04] going to be a greater degree of [11:05] consistency [11:07] uh between democracies than any other [11:09] form of government with all of its [11:11] weaknesses. There's going to be [11:12] consistency. What we're facing now, and [11:15] this is something that really will uh [11:19] allow everyone to understand on a in a [11:22] broader framework what's really going [11:24] on, what October 7th was about, what the [11:27] war against Iran is about. [11:29] There is a [11:32] a tension a conflict within Islam today [11:36] which this really has to be understood. [11:39] Professor Bernard Lewis always used to [11:41] say [11:44] Islam has not had its reformation yet. [11:48] The reformation in Christianity took [11:51] place 1500 years after Jesus. We're now [11:54] 1500 years after Muhammad. Interesting. [11:58] And the question that Islam is facing is [12:01] whether or not Islam will continue to [12:03] try and devour [12:06] Judeo-Christian civilization [12:08] or whether it can live side by side with [12:10] Western civilization. That's the issue [12:13] taking place within Islam today. Now, I [12:15] know when you go to lectures by [12:17] professors [12:18] uh from your Ivy League schools, Yeah. [12:22] the same ones who taught the kids to go [12:23] out on October 8th and scream from the [12:25] river to the sea. [12:27] uh they will tell you that the divide [12:29] within Islam is between the Shiites and [12:32] the Sunnis. [12:34] Now they're right that there is a divide [12:35] between the Sunnis and the Shiites, but [12:38] that's not the divide that is really [12:41] relevant for us at the present time. The [12:43] divide is between the accommodationists [12:48] and the anti-accommodationists, the [12:49] reformers [12:51] and the fundamentalists. [12:54] And when the Abraham Accords were [12:56] implemented in 2019 2020, [12:59] the accommodationists got the upper [13:01] hand. [13:04] Ladies and gentlemen, any of you who [13:05] have been to Abu Dhabi know that you can [13:09] walk around Abu Dhabi today with a [13:10] keepa, [13:12] something you can't do in London or in [13:15] Paris. Okay, that's a civilizational [13:18] change and that's the result of the [13:21] leadership of the UAE saying we are [13:23] moving into a Islam which is [13:25] accommodationist and that's why Israel [13:27] can live in peaceful harmony with [13:29] Azabjan which is a country of 10 million [13:31] Shiites and that's why we can make peace [13:32] with Somali land which is a country of [13:34] 6.5 million Sunnis. [13:37] So you've got Sunnis and Shiites that [13:39] are in favor of accommodation. [13:43] Now, if you're in favor of [13:44] accommodation, what's the first thing [13:45] you're going to do? You're going to make [13:47] peace with Israel. If you are opposed to [13:50] accommodation with the West, what's the [13:53] first thing you're going to do? [13:55] Destroy Israel. [13:58] Because Israel is this Judeo-Christian [14:02] element within Islam. [14:05] So, Iran saw the Abraham Accords coming. [14:09] They saw this [14:12] visceral threat to their theology and [14:15] they went about creating a ring of fire [14:17] which was intended to devour Israel. A [14:20] ring of fire means kamasis. [14:23] Houthis by the way intended to send [14:25] ground troops into Jordan and invade us [14:27] from invade us from our eastern border [14:28] as well. The Assad regime, the Iranian [14:32] militias in Iraq and Iranian ballistic [14:34] missiles into the center of the country. [14:36] That was the idea to overwhelm our [14:38] system and destroy Israel. Why? Because [14:42] that is the way to prevent an [14:45] accommodationist Islam that would live [14:47] side by side with the West. And that's [14:50] what we're contending with now. That's [14:51] where the focus should be. when you're [14:53] talking about the incom accommodation, [14:57] it was believed that the the kingpin [14:59] really of the Abraham Accords could be [15:01] Saudi Arabia and that discussions toward [15:04] whether the Saudi would enter into [15:05] normalization agreement with Israel were [15:08] progressing into the public sphere. And [15:10] when the prime minister came to Congress [15:12] in July 2024, I thought the the major [15:14] headline of that speech was that he [15:16] called for a NATO style defense alliance [15:19] between Abraham Accords of countries [15:21] which would be led to a certain extent [15:23] by Israel to counterbalance Iran. And [15:26] what we've just seen now in the last [15:28] month is that Saudi Arabia instead of [15:30] entering into the Abraham Accords just [15:32] signed that they were entering into what [15:34] is called the Mecca Accords, a defense [15:36] alliance between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan [15:39] and Turkey. Uh Pakistan maybe was [15:42] believed to be a country that could in [15:43] the future normalize with Israel. uh [15:45] though they seem to be negotiating on [15:47] the side of Iran and certainly Turkey [15:49] has emerged uh not just as an [15:51] accommodationalist but rather uh as the [15:54] head of the other side of that uh Sunni [15:58] uh Sunni alliance axis that uh is now [16:01] threatening Israel. [16:02] >> Yeah, I wouldn't make too much of [16:04] musical chairs in the Arab world. You [16:06] know, they're making packs today with [16:08] between each other and then they're [16:09] changing it tomorrow. U had a pack with [16:11] Iran and now they just shut down all [16:13] their banking. Um, look, the the most [16:16] important takeaway from that u alliance [16:19] that was created is not Saudi Arabia. [16:23] The big issue is Turkey. Okay. Uh, Saudi [16:27] Arabia in one way or another, [16:30] we may go into peace negotiations. We [16:33] may it may take longer for us to go into [16:35] normalization, [16:37] but there's cooperation. Even if there's [16:39] not normalization, there's cooperation [16:41] going on with Saudi Arabia. Turkey is a [16:44] whole different ballgame. Okay. The [16:46] leaders of Saudi Arabia are not talking [16:48] about eliminating Israel and the leaders [16:50] of Turkey are. Now that also is a huge [16:54] change that we have to be very uh aware [16:58] of. Today all the funding forbala and [17:01] kamas is coming through Turkey. [17:06] Some of it is also Turkish money. It's [17:08] not only coming from Iran and by the way [17:10] through NOS's here in the United States [17:12] to Turkey and then to Hisbal and Kamas. [17:15] It's also now Turkish money. The foreign [17:18] minister of Turkey recently said that [17:21] Jews are a blot on humanity need to be [17:24] erased. [17:26] Erdogan himself talks about a new [17:28] Ottoman Empire. [17:30] And we have to be very vigilant when it [17:33] comes to this kind of verbiage because [17:35] we heard in the past, we've learned in [17:37] the past that this kind of speech can [17:39] also lead to to action. And Turkey, [17:43] you know, Turkey is a huge army. This [17:45] isn't Kamas orbala. It's a huge army. Uh [17:50] they have a very powerful navy. [17:53] They're now uh doing all sorts of naval [17:56] drills in the Med Mediterranean, which [17:58] is a bit of a new worrying development. [18:01] So, we have concerns about Turkey and [18:04] we've conveyed those concerns to uh the [18:08] administration [18:09] and here too, we have basic agreement. [18:13] The administration is slamping [18:16] sanctions on organizations and [18:19] individuals dealing with bad money [18:21] operating in and around Turkey. And we'd [18:24] like to see a bit of a harsher line [18:26] taken with regard to Erdogan and uh and [18:29] and this administration. There's also [18:32] another thing I'd like to point out. [18:34] You've heard it said on several [18:36] occasions that Israel should leave [18:40] Syrian territory. I think you've heard [18:42] that before. So, it's important for you [18:45] to understand that Israel is sitting on [18:48] 78 square miles of Syrian territory. [18:52] That's 0.1% [18:54] of Syrian territory. Turkey is sitting [18:57] on [18:59] 3,200 square miles of sovereign Syrian [19:02] territory, which is a total of 5% of [19:05] Syria. [19:07] So, when Turkey leaves, we'll consider [19:10] leaving as well. But uh that's the [19:14] situation. We cannot have Turkey uh [19:16] moving south in Syria towards our [19:19] border. We can't have Turkey influencing [19:21] Lebanon. And uh we can't have Turkey [19:24] asserting itself throughout the Middle [19:25] East as a new radical regional hegeimon. [19:28] >> And we just saw that Israel struck in [19:31] Syria, I guess it was just over a week [19:32] ago at the Abu Al Duhur air base. [19:35] >> So that that's ex that's exactly what [19:37] happened. They're occupying these 5% in [19:40] the north in two huge blotches of Syrian [19:42] territory. And what happened was we [19:45] received intel that they were going to [19:48] move offensive weapons [19:52] and missile defense systems with [19:54] soldiers into this Arab uh strip near [19:59] Idlib, city of Idlib in northern Syria. [20:02] And we sent the verbal messaging [20:05] to who we had to send it to. And when [20:08] that didn't help, we decided to send [20:10] kinetic messaging to s to Turkey, which [20:13] helped. They didn't move into Syria. So [20:16] the uh the arrangement that we have with [20:19] uh uh with Syria is to freeze the [20:22] present situation. And this goes back to [20:25] the Biden administration. [20:27] We want to freeze the situation. In [20:28] other words, we stay where we are. The [20:30] Terska stay where they are. And the [20:32] Syrians cannot move their divisions, [20:35] some of which are comprised of jihadis [20:37] themselves, [20:39] south towards our border, the Golan [20:41] Heights. That accomplishes two things. [20:44] Protecting our Drew's cousins on the [20:46] other side of the border and protecting [20:48] our border, our new defense strategy [20:52] after October 7th. And this is very [20:53] important to understand. We have a new [20:55] defense doctrine. And the doctrine can [20:58] be summed up in one phrase. We will not [21:01] allow jihadis on our borders, whether [21:04] it's in kamas, whether it's kamas in [21:06] Gaza, whether it's in Lebanon, or [21:09] whether it's jihadis in Syria. Now, [21:12] look, we're very hopeful about Syria. [21:14] We're very hopeful. It's not Assad, and [21:17] it's a blessing that Assad fell. We had [21:19] a little something to do with it. We [21:20] don't get too much credit for. Uh but [21:23] it's great that Assad fell. [21:26] And um we're hopeful that this fellow [21:29] Ashara used to be called Gulani [21:32] uh is going to move towards a um [21:38] democracy, [21:40] >> but there isn't the long history of [21:42] jihadis becoming Jeffersonians. [21:45] So what we're urging is caution. Take it [21:48] slow. And hopefully we'll see over the [21:51] next few years when he proves himself to [21:54] be tolerant of his minorities where [21:55] there's no longer a slaughter of the [21:57] Jewish population or of the Alawite [21:58] population or of the Christian [22:00] population or we don't see the uh uh [22:04] divisions of Syrian soldiers training in [22:06] Damascus screaming, "We're waiting for [22:08] the blood of the Jews to flow through [22:10] the streets of Jerusalem." When those [22:12] chants stop, we'll be more encouraged [22:14] that actually Giuli is moving towards [22:17] living in peace and harmony. But we're [22:18] maintaining this relationship. The prime [22:20] minister asked me to go to Paris a few [22:22] months ago to sit with the foreign [22:23] minister of Syria and to reconstitute [22:26] this agreement that we have that there [22:28] won't be any changes of the situation. [22:30] That'll be frozen. And we reached that [22:32] agreement and that's why it was so [22:33] egregious two weeks ago when we saw that [22:36] the uh the Turks were going to move in [22:38] in breach of that agreement. [22:40] >> Last time we met we were in Rome and you [22:44] had just completed the first round. That [22:46] was classified. [22:51] >> The meeting with me was classified. His [22:53] meeting uh to negotiate with the the [22:55] Lebanese government that was public. [22:58] But uh you you expressed that these [23:02] negotiations are being carried out uh in [23:06] a friendly manner uh that the two the [23:09] two countries that enable one another, [23:11] you know, have mutual goals here in [23:13] dealing withaha. Now the ceasefire [23:16] agreement that Israel initially signed [23:18] with Lebanon [23:20] is not a party to that agreement. So how [23:22] do you negotiate with this government [23:26] who toward a a real some sort of [23:29] accommodation when the party that both [23:31] sides are actually fighting is not a [23:33] party to the agreement? [23:36] >> Well, both both sides are opposed to [23:38] them. It's not that both sides are [23:40] fighting them. Uh, we wish the Lebanese [23:43] were fighting them a bit more than they [23:44] are, but we're in negotiations with [23:47] Lebanon. It's going slow, but I think [23:49] it's going quite well. [23:52] We're both united in our opposition [23:54] tobala. Uh the Lebanese government [23:57] doesn't want occupying their country and [24:00] we want them to be sovereign and we want [24:03] our border to be sovereign and our [24:06] people to live in peace without fear [24:08] that wake up in the morning, put an [24:10] anti-tank missile on their shoulder and [24:12] fire it into Matula. That's [24:14] unacceptable. Now what's happened is for [24:16] for five rounds now over the past uh [24:19] 3540 years, [24:22] first it was the PLO. We drove them out. [24:26] You remember Arafat leaving by boat? [24:29] Some of there are a few maybe one or two [24:31] of you in the room that may be old [24:32] enough to remember that. I am. Um but uh [24:39] then took over. Okay, is now occupying [24:42] the country and they're a proxy of Iran. [24:46] Okay. And it's very important for Iran [24:48] to have this proxy because it's a front [24:50] line of [24:53] uh Iranian interest in destroying us. [24:55] Right. So they actually armed them to [24:58] the teeth. They had 130 to 140,000 [25:02] missiles, short-range and mid-range [25:04] missiles. I mean just just think of the [25:06] staggering number. And we're discovering [25:08] in them now in the tunnels of South [25:10] Lebanon. Our soldiers are are uh [25:13] removing them one by one. Um but five [25:17] times came down to the border, built [25:21] tunnels, amassed these missiles and five [25:24] times we went in to drive them back and [25:28] then there were international agreements [25:30] and we left. There were promises and [25:33] then they came back again and we went in [25:35] again. This is like uh you know and each [25:38] time we lost soldiers and we lost [25:40] civilians. [25:42] So now what we've said post October 7th [25:45] is we will only leave the security zone [25:49] oncebala is dismantled [25:52] like we're only going to leave the Gaza [25:54] security zone once kamas is dismantled. [25:56] We've made that eminently clear. We're [25:58] not leaving security zones. That's what [26:00] I mean about a new defense doctrine. Now [26:03] when you hear on the news that we're [26:05] occupying Lebanon, push back at it. [26:07] We're not occupying Lebanon. were [26:09] occupying 8 to 10 kilometers. Why 8 to [26:12] 10 kilometers? Because that's the range [26:15] of anti-tank missiles that they were [26:17] firing into our communities. So the [26:20] negative of that range has been now [26:22] translated into Lebanese territory. [26:25] Okay. And what we're trying to arrange [26:28] with the Lebanese government [26:31] is how to dismantle. Not if they agree [26:35] that Hisbala must be dismantled. The [26:37] question is how how we go about [26:40] accomplishing that. They don't want a [26:42] conf a a military confrontation. [26:45] Some of their concerns are justified. A [26:48] kbala soldier gets $800 a month. A [26:52] Lebanese armed forces soldiers pay $200 [26:54] a month. So you're obviously going to [26:57] have Lebanese soldiers, officers taking [27:01] money from Hisbala, right? So it's very [27:03] complicated. Okay. But one of the [27:06] initiatives that I drove in the [27:08] negotiations is that [27:10] and this this did not happen before. [27:12] Okay, this is this is a new initiative [27:16] that we would negotiate peace between [27:18] the two countries [27:20] as if [27:22] has been dismantled. [27:24] So we'll have a peace treaty ready [27:28] oncebala is in fact dismantled. All [27:30] we'll have to do is take the agreement [27:32] off the shelf and come running to the [27:34] White House lawn and sign it and get it [27:37] over with and have peace. Right? Until [27:39] now, we were waiting to negotiate peace [27:42] until Kismala would be dismantled. Now, [27:45] that also serves on a tactical level [27:48] because it helps solidify the [27:51] government's position visav the [27:53] supporters of Kisbala. See what you're [27:55] holding up? You're holding up the [27:58] possibility of having a robust economy [28:01] and a rebuilt south and a rise in the [28:04] human development index and having [28:07] Lebanon into enter the family of nations [28:09] as it once was a glory uh a glory of the [28:13] the land of the cedars right Switzerland [28:16] of the med of of the Middle East. It can [28:18] all happen again if only we don't have [28:21] to deal with and we're able to go back [28:22] into a uh peace with Israel. [28:26] >> You say the Lebanese don't want a [28:28] military conflict, but how can canba be [28:30] defeated without a military conflict, [28:33] >> right? So, what we came up with and it's [28:38] frankly it's not working as well as we'd [28:42] like it to work. That's probably what's [28:45] going to be the focus of our attention [28:47] when we meet in Rome again in two [28:49] months, in two weeks. [28:53] We devised a program of pilot zones [28:57] where instead of [29:00] a promise or a guarantee [29:03] or a uh uh kinetic taking on of [29:08] we devise areas. [29:11] Okay. We we define the contours of [29:14] certain areas. We'll call them pilot [29:15] zones. [29:17] Once we've cleaned them out of tunnels [29:20] and of weapons that has, then we have [29:24] the [29:26] Lebanese army come in and take control. [29:28] And their responsibility then would be [29:30] to keep out. Okay? And were that to [29:35] garner enough support within Lebanon, [29:37] the hope is that will not challenge them [29:41] in those pilot zones. [29:45] We're not seeing the success that we [29:47] need in order to move into the next [29:49] series of pilot zones. We have two. We [29:52] implemented two and what we're seeing [29:54] isala come in in civilian garb. [30:00] So, we're not going to be fooled. And [30:02] we've made it very clear. There's an [30:04] interesting report out today, and I'm [30:06] not surprised by it at all, although the [30:08] people sent to me were full of surprise [30:11] that Lebanese officers are being quoted [30:14] to their American counterparts [30:16] to please not [30:19] push Israel into the next pilot zone [30:21] because if Israel withdraws too [30:23] prematurely, Kazbala is going to come [30:26] back. So you see, Lebanon is saying to [30:29] us, "Take it slow because we want to [30:32] make sure this works. We don't want [30:34] Kuzbala reconstituting." That wouldn't [30:36] happen were it not for the fact that [30:37] we're negotiating and sitting opposite [30:40] each other at the negotiating table. [30:42] There's multiple fronts in the war. [30:44] You're fighting multiple terror [30:45] organizations. Lebanon, Gaza, we are [30:49] dealing with Kamas. Now, Israel entered [30:51] into a 20point ceasefire plan that was [30:54] brokered by the United States. Uh, one [30:56] of the key elements of that plan called [30:58] for the disarmament of Kamas, [31:00] demilitarization of Gaza, and yet [31:02] recently we saw that there was a [31:04] 15-point proposal that was put on the [31:06] table. And it looked like uh the United [31:10] States or the board of peace was hoping [31:12] for Israel to withdraw closer to the [31:14] yellow line, even perhaps with a let's [31:17] say a softer form of kamas disarmament. [31:21] You know, are are US and Israel on the [31:23] on the same page here? the prime [31:24] minister rejected that 15-point plan. [31:27] What's the disagreement? [31:30] >> Well, the disagreement was over moving [31:32] whether or not to move from the 20point [31:34] plan to the 15-point plan. And we said [31:36] we signed on to the 20point plan and uh [31:40] we're going to be absolutely loyal uh to [31:43] that plan and that is we don't move [31:45] unless kamas is dismantled. Now the [31:47] again I getting back like to the issue [31:50] of Iran there's going to be nuances. The [31:52] basis is agreement. There's a [31:54] fundamental agreement that kamas has to [31:56] be dismantled. There are nuances of [31:58] differences over how to get that done. [32:01] And because the US weighs in with other [32:04] vectors to the decision-making process, [32:06] they'd like to see, you know, uh, uh, [32:08] Egypt more involved and Qatar more [32:10] involved and so on for a multitude of [32:12] reasons I won't get into. But that means [32:15] that there's going to be a difference of [32:17] opinion as to the cadence with which [32:20] kamas is going to be dismantled. Right? [32:22] Maybe we can start out with a minimum [32:25] amount of dismantlement. Maybe we can [32:26] start out with just long guns and not [32:28] short guns and maybe not the all the [32:30] tunnels initially and so on. We're [32:32] insistent [32:34] that all the tunnels be destroyed. We're [32:37] insistent that all of the weapons be [32:38] turned over and not turned over and put [32:40] into a storage vault, but that are [32:43] destroyed. Okay. Uh so we're we're [32:46] insistent on that. We're holding we're [32:49] we're we're holding uh u the uh [32:52] ourselves to those principles. We're [32:54] going to insist on them. Uh because [32:56] again, our defense policy after October [32:58] 7th is we're not going to [33:02] uh accept promises and hopes and [33:05] prayers. uh we're we're going to accept [33:08] facts and facts on the ground have to be [33:10] that Hamas is dismantled. [33:12] >> In February 2025, when Prime Minister [33:14] Netanyahu was the first foreign leader [33:16] to come visit uh President Trump when he [33:19] was back in office, uh the president, I [33:22] think, stunned everybody in the room [33:24] when he said that basically every Gazin [33:27] would need to leave and that uh Gaza was [33:29] a demolition zone. And yet here we are [33:33] years later uh years after October 7th [33:36] and we haven't seen a meaningful number [33:38] of Gazins uh being able to exit the Gaza [33:41] Strip. Is Israel working uh together [33:44] with the United States on the [33:45] possibilities that uh Gazins that want [33:47] to flee the war zone might have the [33:49] opportunity to resettle elsewhere? [33:53] Do you know how many Gazins have left uh [33:58] Gaza since October 7th? [34:02] >> How many? [34:03] >> 50,000. [34:04] >> 50,000. [34:06] 50,000. 11,000 for medical purposes [34:10] and another 40 because they receive [34:12] visas from other countries. [34:16] All of the countries at the UN [34:19] who are so critical of Israel keeping [34:22] Gaza as the biggest human prison in [34:26] history, all they've got to do is issue [34:28] visas. [34:29] Do you know that when Gazins want to [34:32] leave for medical treatment, [34:35] they can go through [34:38] the Rafa crossing through Egypt or they [34:41] can go through Karam Shalom through [34:42] Israel and Rammon air base or to Jordan? [34:46] Do you know if they go through Egypt, [34:49] they can only go through if there's a [34:50] concominant number of Gazins going back [34:53] in. So if 150 want to leave for medical [34:57] treatment in Budapest, [35:01] there have to be 150 gazins who want to [35:03] get in. And if there's only 50, only 50 [35:07] will leave, not 150. Where's an outrage? [35:12] Where's the moral outrage? [35:15] We don't keep anybody in prison. [35:19] Visas. Give them visas. You've got 192 [35:22] countries in the world. give them visas. [35:25] Okay. When we move them, we move them [35:28] out of the way of fire. [35:32] When we were told in the previous [35:33] administration, don't go into Rafa, [35:35] there's going to be a blood bath. They [35:37] said it would take 10 months and [35:38] there'll be thousands killed. No one was [35:40] killed. And it took 10 days. The biggest [35:42] blood liel against the Jewish people [35:45] since the Middle Ages has been this [35:48] charge of genocide. And it should have [35:50] been our our first issue to discuss. You [35:53] have to push back on the blood label. [35:55] You don't put blood in your matzas. [35:58] You don't poison wells. [36:01] And we don't starve people. [36:04] I went to a meeting with the New York [36:06] Times editorial board. I didn't want to [36:08] go, but my spokeswoman said I had to. [36:12] >> And I sat there against 15 editors of [36:15] the New York Times. Another six were on [36:17] the screens. [36:18] And they were berating me over the [36:21] starvation. And I'm telling them, "Your [36:23] facts are wrong." I was giving them [36:27] numbers of semi-trailers packed with [36:29] food, how many calories were going in [36:31] every day, and they just came hitting [36:34] back with feelings, but that's not [36:36] getting there. And there are people [36:37] starving, [36:38] and finally after 45 minutes, one of the [36:41] editors said to me, [36:43] "Mr. Ambassador, not everybody can be [36:47] wrong." [36:48] That's a deep intellectual argument, [36:50] isn't it? [36:52] something powerful you'd expect from the [36:54] New York Times. I said, 'Well, it's not [36:56] everybody. I mean, John Spencer is the [36:58] number one expert in the world on urban [37:00] warfare. He says it's the lowest [37:01] combatant to non-combatant ratio in [37:03] history. Douglas Murray is not a Jew. [37:06] Um, you know, he spent months embedded [37:09] with the IDF. He says there's never been [37:10] a war fought more morally. [37:14] But I said, if it's everyone, it may be [37:16] because of you. [37:18] Because a few weeks ago, [37:21] a few weeks ago, you published a picture [37:23] of little Muhammad, 18-month-old baby [37:26] with a protruding spine, and you didn't [37:29] mention that he has cereble pausy, [37:32] and you cut out, you cropped out his [37:34] brother from the picture, three years [37:36] old, was perfectly healthy. So, what [37:39] were you doing with that? What you were [37:41] doing with that is inverting the [37:44] Holocaust. Right? Anybody who saw a [37:46] picture of a protruding spine until that [37:48] time would say it was Jews being [37:50] persecuted in the Holocaust. [37:53] So sometimes Jews are victims [37:57] and some of genocide and sometimes Jews [37:59] are the perpetrators of genocide. That's [38:01] the message you're trying to get across. [38:02] And the senior editor said to me, "Oh, [38:04] come on, Mr. Ambassador. Don't you think [38:06] you're making too much of a [38:07] misappropriation?" [38:10] I said, "Ma'am, that's not a [38:11] misappropriation. [38:13] That's a blood liel. When you say that I [38:15] kill little children, that's a blood [38:18] liel. And I ask you, how many of you [38:21] have already downloaded the book that we [38:24] put out in the embassy, which is the [38:26] making of a modern blood liel, and have [38:28] learned this and have circulated it to [38:30] everyone you know? Well, if you haven't, [38:32] you should. When I came out of that [38:34] meeting with the New York Times, I [38:35] called my staff and I said, "You're [38:37] leaving everything now, [38:39] and we're going to dedicate [38:42] all of our time right now to putting out [38:45] a defense of Israel." Yes. There's [38:48] nothing more debilitating than having to [38:50] defend the truth. It It is It is really [38:53] I mean, just think about it. Just Just [38:56] very very upsetting, debilitating, and [38:58] unfortunate. But you nevertheless have [39:00] to do it. You have to hit back. Lies are [39:02] rapid and truth is slow. But you have to [39:04] keep plotting through with your truth. [39:06] And we've got to hit back on this [39:09] narrative because I am telling you, [39:10] ladies and gentlemen, it is becoming [39:12] accepted fact. We committed genocide. [39:17] People on all of your [39:20] media stations, all your media outlets [39:22] kind of just say it with a shrug of [39:23] their shoulders. You know, what about [39:25] the genocide in Gaza, the starvation in [39:28] Gaza, the ethnic cleansing in Gaza? It [39:30] never happened. And you have to push [39:33] back at it because ultimately it will [39:35] end up in dead Jews and it is [39:38] delegitimizing and demonizing the state [39:40] of Israel. That is at the basis of all [39:43] the efforts to place an embargo of arms [39:45] on Israel. And please don't come back [39:48] and tell me yes, but it's being led by a [39:49] Jew. [39:51] Really? [39:53] Bernie Sanders is a Jew. [39:57] He's a socialist who may have communist. [40:02] I'll give it to you. Communist who may [40:05] have Jewish pedigree. Does he have [40:07] anything to do with Jewish identity? [40:09] Does he care at all about Jewish [40:11] identity? Has he ever identified with [40:13] the Jewish people? [40:15] Please, enough nonsense with this. [40:19] Putting an arms embargo on the state of [40:21] Israel is basically contributing to an [40:24] eliminationist ideology regarding the [40:26] Jewish state. If you don't have arms to [40:28] defend yourself, you might as well roll [40:30] over and play dead. We have to push back [40:32] on this because the narrative in back of [40:34] this attempt to put an arms embargo is [40:36] the genocide liable. You don't eat [40:39] matzas with blood. You don't [40:43] perpetrate a genocide in Gaza. And let [40:46] me tell you that day I met with the New [40:48] York Times, you can't make this stuff [40:50] up. Really, it was the 10th of November. [40:54] You know what the 10th of November is? [40:56] It was exactly 50 years to the date of [40:59] the Zionism equals racism resolution in [41:02] the UN. 50 years to the day. See where [41:05] it took us? It took 50 years. [41:08] But now [41:10] people running for the Congress of the [41:12] United States of America speak openly [41:16] and frankly, unabashedly, unequivocally [41:18] that Zionism is racism. And you know [41:21] what else? October, November 10th is [41:23] just happened to be. [41:26] It was the second anniversary of my [41:28] son's death in Gaza when he led troops [41:31] to fight against Hamas. [41:33] So meeting with the New York Times on [41:35] his site was quite a personal [41:39] experience. [41:41] And [41:44] the point is this reason I brought that [41:46] up [41:48] is because our soldiers [41:52] would be alive today if we were doing [41:55] what we're being accused of doing. [42:00] My son is dead because we sent our [42:03] troops in on foot. [42:06] We didn't straft bomb population [42:07] centers. [42:09] We went from house to house and he went [42:12] into a kamas booby trap. [42:17] So bear that in mind. Push back on this [42:20] blood liel. don't accept a cintillaa [42:25] of this liel which is the basis of hate [42:28] which is the basis of violence against [42:31] Israel and Jewish people. [42:40] You talk about uh the possibilities of [42:44] boycots [42:45] uh weapons embargos and the boycott the [42:49] the bedrock of the USIsrael relationship [42:53] may be the $ 38 billion 10-year uh that [42:58] United States has with Israel to provide [43:00] $3.8 billion a year for defense funding. [43:02] Uh thatou comes up I believe in 2028. [43:06] Tell me what you think a futureou [43:10] between Israel and the United States [43:12] could look like. Many people have been [43:14] calling for the United States no longer [43:16] to give defense aid to Israel. And tell [43:18] me what what a future could look like. [43:23] >> You know, this is this is one of the of [43:26] those canards [43:28] that are just are just immeasurable. You [43:31] don't know where they begin and where [43:33] they end. [43:34] You heard about unconditional aid to [43:36] Israel. We have to stop the [43:37] unconditional aid to Israel. Ladies and [43:40] gentlemen, there is no unconditional aid [43:42] to Israel. The condition of the aid to [43:44] Israel is that it's spent here. So of [43:47] the $3.8 billion, [43:50] 3.3 [43:51] is entirely spent in the United States. [43:54] The first phone call I received when the [43:57] prime minister met with the president in [43:58] Mara Lago in November and said, "Donald, [44:02] we're going to move into an aid to [44:04] partnership relationship and we're going [44:06] to wind down for the next. We're going [44:07] to wind it down to zero." There was [44:10] silence in the room and then the [44:11] president said, "Well, BB, why would you [44:14] do that? [44:18] You don't get it." [44:21] The second phone call I received was [44:23] from Lindsey Graham, may rest in peace, [44:25] who said, "What the hell do you think [44:28] you're doing?" [44:30] He didn't just say, "What the hell?" Let [44:31] me tell you, [44:33] >> he said, "That's not for you to decide." [44:36] >> That money is for us. [44:40] He said, and he used to add every year, [44:42] he used to add something because it's [44:43] for us. He said, "You're in 48 of the 50 [44:47] states. That 38.3 billion creates [44:50] American jobs and those American jobs [44:53] help our defense industry. That's not [44:56] for you to decide. That's for the US to [44:58] decide. [44:59] Okay? But we're sensitive to your [45:03] sensibilities to the political [45:05] atmosphere in the United States. And by [45:06] the way, of the other 500 million, I [45:08] said of the 3.8, 8 3.3 is all spent [45:11] here. Half of the remaining 500 million [45:15] which is missile defense is also spent [45:17] here. Okay. So you got 3.55 [45:21] of the 3.8 which is entirely spent in [45:24] the United States. And we're still going [45:25] to wind it down. We're going to wind it [45:27] down because and we're already in I'd [45:31] say the the the second half of the [45:33] process of negotiating this. [45:36] Uh we're going to wind it down because [45:38] of the atmosphere [45:41] uh because of our sensibility towards [45:44] American sensibilities [45:46] um and um taking into account the fact [45:50] that Israel is as well is a is a is a uh [45:55] economic powerhouse today. We're moving [45:57] into a trillion dollar economy. [46:01] >> And uh that doesn't mean that those [46:03] American jobs will be cut because we're [46:05] just going to be spending more [46:07] purchasing because all our platforms are [46:09] American platforms. We don't have [46:12] Chinese platforms. [46:14] All our platforms are American. That [46:17] means that going into the future, we can [46:19] only buy American weapons, whether [46:22] they're of the offensive or defensive [46:24] stripe. So we're also going to move into [46:27] greater degree of research development [46:32] and production [46:33] between our two countries and yes it [46:38] good applause that it's going to be it's [46:40] going to be it's actually going to be [46:44] mistakenly you know the Tuckers out [46:46] there may say oh this is good you know [46:49] they're winding down there's not going [46:50] to be any more Israel on the contrary [46:53] Tucker [46:55] You poor [47:00] sorry excuse for a human being. [47:05] This is going to be a deepening of the [47:08] relationship between Israel and the [47:10] United States because we're going to be [47:13] developing and producing it together. [47:16] And there's going to be more investment, [47:18] Israeli investment in the United States [47:21] and more American investment in Israel. [47:24] So, it's going to accomplish exactly the [47:26] opposite of what our detractors are [47:29] hoping for. [47:36] The main event here at the RJC tonight, [47:39] Vice President JD Vance will be speaking [47:41] to the audience. And it was just a few [47:43] weeks ago on the Joe Rogan podcast that [47:46] he sort of intimated that Israel was [47:49] seeking foreign influence in US affairs [47:52] similar to countries like Qatar and [47:55] China and others. And Prime Minister [47:58] Netanyahu had a one-on-one meeting [48:00] reportedly with the Vice President uh [48:02] soon after that. I know that the prime [48:04] minister has met privately with JD Vance [48:07] on on multiple occasions trying to [48:09] strengthen the bond between Israel and [48:11] the vice president. Um and then shortly [48:15] after that most recent meeting, Vance [48:17] went on to Fox News and and talked about [48:19] Israel being an ally of the United [48:21] States similar to the United Kingdom and [48:23] France, which is a big difference. Um [48:26] tell me what you think about the prime [48:29] minister's relationship with Vice [48:30] President JD Vance. Uh, and I think a [48:33] lot of people here are wondering, you [48:34] know, what side of the fence Vance is [48:37] on. Is he is he on President Trump's [48:40] side with maybe with Rubio and Hexath on [48:42] the one side or is he on the Tucker [48:44] Carlson side? [48:47] An awful lot to unpack there, but let me [48:49] just say this. [48:52] I am so delighted to be on stage tonight [48:55] with JD Vance [48:57] and I am so looking forward to him [49:00] receiving a warm [49:03] and enthusiastic reception. [49:11] I was in that uh one-on-one meeting. It [49:14] was actually oneon- two because I was in [49:17] it for most of the meeting [49:20] and um [49:24] I have been in [49:26] over a dozen [49:28] meetings with uh the vice president over [49:31] the past year and a half and they're [49:34] intense meetings because we're talking [49:35] about two countries at war. We're not [49:37] talking about, [49:39] you know, where to vacation next. The [49:42] these are these are intense discussions. [49:45] They're deep dives. [49:48] And not only have I not detected a [49:51] cintillaa [49:53] of anti-semitism or anti-Israelism or [49:56] anti-ionism on the part of JD. [49:59] I would say that most of our much of our [50:02] success in operating together [50:06] is due in part to his presence in the [50:09] room and his participation. [50:12] Now, does that mean that I can identify [50:17] with every one of his comments over the [50:19] past year? No. [50:22] And [50:24] that's okay. [50:27] Jews have to calm down a little bit. You [50:30] talk about, [50:32] everybody doesn't have to express [50:34] themselves exactly the way we want to [50:36] express ourselves after the chult on [50:38] Shabas afternoon. you know, people [50:41] express themselves differently. And I [50:44] told him on several occasions, you know, [50:48] you could have done that differently. [50:51] And this is how I would have said it. [50:54] And [50:56] there is room there's room there for a [50:59] learning curve, but let's take it easy. [51:03] Let's not rush to criticism so fast. [51:06] He has been part of a collaborative [51:09] effort with the state of Israel, the [51:11] likes of which are unprecedented. [51:16] And we should be in the [51:19] in the habit of seeing half a cup that's [51:23] full much more often than half a cup [51:25] that's empty. I understand where that [51:27] comes from, okay? But we can get over [51:30] it. And until somebody proves themselves [51:33] really beyond the pale to be someone who [51:36] is hostile to us, we had better be very [51:39] warm and embracing. Are there going to [51:41] be differences? There going to be [51:42] nuances? Sure. But at the end of the [51:46] day, JD Vance is a friend [51:50] and he [51:53] has repeated again and again since his [51:57] Quincy speech at Quincy. He gave the [51:59] speech 2022. He didn't give it at the [52:02] Heritage Foundation or the RJC at [52:04] Quincy. He said Israel is the model [52:08] ally. [52:10] That is the basis. That's the baseline [52:12] of his thinking. And that's why it is [52:14] very important for American Jews that [52:17] really care about the America Israel [52:20] relationship to be very careful the way [52:22] they express themselves and to embrace [52:25] the administration and to embrace JD. [52:28] And I'm telling you, you won't regret [52:30] it. [52:31] >> I'll ask you [52:35] I'll ask you one final question here. I [52:38] know RJC and many people in the room are [52:40] concerned about the midterms coming up [52:42] in the first week of November, but in [52:44] Israel, we are also in election season [52:46] and Israelis will be picking the new [52:49] parliament and a prime minister on [52:52] October 27th. Can you tell me uh from [52:54] your seat what you think the stakes are [52:57] of this election in Israel? [53:01] >> The stakes are high as they have been in [53:04] almost every election. I remember [53:07] a couple interesting things to bear in [53:08] mind. [53:11] When I was a kid just getting involved [53:13] in Israeli politics in the 1980s, [53:16] the Israeli public was divided between a [53:20] largely could and a large labor. [53:24] Labor was in favor of moving towards [53:27] accommodation with the Palestinians over [53:29] Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. [53:32] Leud was opposed. [53:34] Along came [53:36] the Oslo process [53:40] and it just barely eaked its way through [53:43] the Knesset, like just barely 61 seats. [53:49] And [53:50] since then, [53:52] the [53:57] public opinion with regard to what is [53:59] colloially referred to as the two-state [54:01] solution, it's not two, it's not state, [54:03] it's not solution. But, [54:06] you know, it's like you have to pay [54:07] homage to certain things, right? [54:12] you [54:13] so you you know you bow down at the [54:16] altar of the two-state solution. I don't [54:19] by the way I don't bow down don't bow [54:21] down to anybody or anything certainly [54:22] not the two-state solution but in any [54:24] case the public Israeli public has moved [54:27] away from that paradigm to the point [54:31] where particularly after October 7 this [54:33] has been true for a number of election [54:35] cycles you'll be very hardressed to find [54:38] left of center parties advocating for a [54:42] Palestinian state this is what I tried [54:44] to convey on the hill when I visit both [54:46] my Republican and Democratic friends I [54:47] say look folks You're talking to me [54:49] about a two-state solution, but you [54:51] know, we're a democracy and you know, [54:54] Israelis have to be in favor of it. And [54:56] you just don't have that anymore. Okay? [54:58] You barely had it at Oslo 30 years ago. [55:01] You certainly don't have it today. I [55:03] mean, the bandwidth for talk about a [55:05] Palestinian state is about the width of [55:08] a hair's breath. and you don't have [55:10] anybody on the left [55:13] that's really advocating that's running [55:15] on a platform advocating for a [55:17] Palestinian state. So despite the fact [55:19] that you see these tremendous divides [55:23] between the parties and we go at each [55:25] other. I mean boy oh boy do we go at [55:27] each other. I mean the tension is so [55:29] great. And you heard Huckabe say the [55:31] other day about how uh just uh uh [55:33] whenever he thinks that American [55:36] politics is intense, he just listens to [55:37] his, you know, the the the election [55:39] cycle in Israel. Um yeah, we're we're at [55:42] each other's throats, but at the end of [55:44] the day on this cardinal issue, there's [55:46] much more unity than there's ever been. [55:50] Okay? So it is consequential, [55:53] but the plurality of the Israeli [55:57] electorate is diametrically opposed to [56:00] the notion that a Palestinian state [56:02] would come to exist in Judea and [56:05] Samaria. Another thing that we should [56:07] get in the habit, know Bruce hammered [56:09] this home a little while ago. Another [56:11] thing we should get in the habit of, [56:14] it's our homeland. It's a homeland where [56:17] Jews were born. You can't tell Jews they [56:19] don't come from Judea. You you can [56:21] advocate for, you know, giving up. But [56:23] you you can do that. It's a political, [56:25] but you can't change history. Judea is [56:28] where Jews came from. When British [56:30] governors occupied Israel, what they [56:32] called Palestine at the time, they wrote [56:34] to their governors from the province of [56:35] Samaria. [56:37] So don't let anybody distance ourselves [56:39] from our homeland. We can discuss [56:42] politics. We can discuss solutions. We [56:44] have to come up with a solution for the [56:45] Palestinians living there. We haven't [56:47] been creative enough in doing so. We [56:50] have to raise their standard of living. [56:51] We continue to raise their standard of [56:53] living as we have already. We have to do [56:54] it more. We have to be more careful [56:56] about these issues. No question about [56:57] it. [56:58] But we have to know the facts and not [57:01] shrink from our own identities and our [57:04] own identities were born in Judea and [57:06] Samaria. So there's much more that [57:07] unites us. And one last point that I [57:09] want to make about this idea of unity. I [57:12] know it's perhaps unpopular and [57:13] difficult for people to hear when I say [57:16] that the level of unity is greater than [57:18] that which divides us. [57:21] So our sons and daughters [57:24] who have been fighting now for three [57:27] years [57:30] on a sevenfront war [57:32] don't ask each other in the tank who [57:35] they voted for. [57:37] They give their blood for each other. [57:40] They give their lives for each other. [57:43] I'll just conclude with a story. [57:47] So, it's Sunday afternoon. I've just [57:49] buried my first born, [57:52] was killed on Friday. [57:56] And Rabbi Maidan, whose son Alicia lost [57:59] both his legs in the explosion, [58:02] comes into the tent. [58:05] There's hundreds maybe thousands of [58:06] people in the tent, the morning tent, [58:08] the a the Shiva. [58:11] And he comes in and he talks about my [58:15] son [58:16] and he came straight from Sharedic [58:18] Hospital where his son was hanging by a [58:20] thread. They didn't know at that point [58:22] he was going to live [58:25] and he spoke about [58:28] his son's officer, my son. [58:31] And a few hours later, a fellow comes in [58:35] who looked vaguely familiar and sits [58:37] down opposite me with with his son [58:40] and he said to me, um, I'm Guy [58:43] Laapidote. [58:44] I said, Guy Lapidote. He said, yeah, I [58:47] was in I was in medics course with you [58:51] 41 years ago. [58:54] I said, 'Wow, guy, [58:57] you you you came you came to be with me [58:59] in the shiva. I haven't seen you in 41 [59:00] years. [59:02] And he said, well, this is my son. He [59:04] serves in SAT Matcal, which is one of [59:06] our elite elite commando units. He said, [59:09] my other son, Amos, is in the hospital. [59:12] He's laying next to Alicia, Ra Maidan's [59:15] son, and he lost one leg. [59:21] And then he said, waited a few minutes [59:23] and he said to me, I I just want you to [59:25] know that Amos [59:29] demonstrated every week against judicial [59:32] reform in Tel Aiv. He wanted to bring [59:35] the government down. I said, "Okay." [59:39] I thought to myself as the conversation, [59:41] you know, in Israel when you have one of [59:43] these um uh shiva tents, [59:48] they become like parliaments. [59:50] everybody's they forget they're there to [59:52] console you and everybody's kind of [59:54] debating politics [59:56] and um I thought about it and then I [60:00] hushed the tent and I said to everybody [60:04] sitting there Rav Maidan was just here [60:07] and told me about Alicia [60:09] who lost both legs and is hanging by a [60:12] thread and now Guy is sitting here [60:14] telling us about Amos who has one leg [60:18] and he's also in intensive care and [60:20] shared [60:21] and he told me for some reason that Amos [60:23] used to demonstrate against the judicial [60:26] reform. I wondered why he said that to [60:29] me. What did that have to do with [60:30] anything? [60:33] I said now it hit me. [60:36] It hit me [60:38] between Alicia who came from [60:41] Judea Gusetion [60:45] who was in favor of judicial reform [60:48] and Amos who came from the kibbuts who [60:51] opposed judicial reform. [60:54] Between the two of them there's one leg [60:58] that is the leg of unity upon which we [61:02] exist. [61:05] And if we kick out the leg of unity, [61:08] we're all going to fall whether we're [61:10] for or against judicial reform. [61:13] Remember, ladies and gentlemen, at the [61:16] end of the day, no matter what your [61:20] politics are, and however firmly [61:22] committed you are to your beliefs, [61:27] to your agenda, to your platform, [61:31] we have to remain [61:34] unified. We need to pursue unity as much [61:38] as we can, as however difficult it may [61:41] be. We're all on one leg. Let's not kick [61:45] that leg out. And let's draw strength. [61:49] Let's draw strength from this generation [61:52] of Jews, this young generation of kids. [61:55] The greatest generation the Jewish [61:58] people has ever created since Abraham [62:01] walked to the land of Israel. This is [62:02] the greatest generation we've ever had. [62:05] Learn from the learn from them, draw [62:08] strength from them, and strive for [62:10] unity. Thank you very much, [62:11] >> ladies. [62:14] Ladies and gentlemen, I could not [62:15] imagine a better advocate, a stronger [62:18] diplomat for the state of Israel. [62:20] Ambassador, you feel lighter.
