world » Threats … And Hope Jewish prospects in France worsen — but Israeli ties with Egypt improve. T 40 February 25 • 2016 Times of Israel American Jewish leader Malcolm Hoenlein at the Times of Israel offices in Jerusalem Times of Israel he Jews of France should prepare plans to leave the country, a prom- inent American Jewish leader said. “They shouldn’t flee. But they should have orderly plans in place,” said Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice president of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. “People who want to leave should be able to leave,” he said of the half-million-strong community. “Things here [in Israel] should be prepared. The licensing process for law- yers, doctors, etc., should be facilitated in order to integrate them quickly.” Jewish immigrants from France arrive in Tel Aviv, July 28, 2015. There are “whole areas in France” today, Hoenlein noted bleakly in a wide-ranging Unlike some leaders of democracies, interviewee, forever throwing out tantalizing interview, “where the police don’t venture Hoenlein said, “dictators tell the truth,” and tidbits of information about meetings with and where Jews and Christians don’t go.” Iran’ s leader has made no secret of his ambi- presidents and prime ministers and security While the French government has allocat- tions. “Khamenei has told us all along what chiefs and kings. ed considerable resources to the fight against he intends to do, what Iran’s goals are and He seems to have met most everyone Islamist terrorism there, Hoenlein elaborat- what they want to impose. When they say — including Syria’ s Bashar Assad — and ed, the head of France’s main security agency they want to destroy Israel. When they say been most everywhere — though not Iran. recently told him he lacked the manpower they want to establish hegemony. When they If Benjamin Netanyahu is Time magazine’ s to adequately monitor the threat posed by say they want to spread the Iranian influ- king of Israel, then Hoenlein is, at the very French citizens returning from fighting with ence. All those things they mean, and they’re least, Mr. American Jewry, arguably the most the Islamic State and other Islamist groups in doing much of it today, ” he said. influential American Jew in the world. the Middle East. Hoenlein also linked the Iranian leader’s He’s a key bridge between Israel and the This security chief, who Hoenlein did not threats against Israel with the ongoing wave American Jewish leadership; he’ s also been name, told him that Cherif and Said Kouachi, of Palestinian knifings of Israelis. “Look what a central player in relations between U.S. the Paris-born brothers who received mili- Khamenei said on Palestine: He wrote a book administrations and Israel. He’ s able to meet tary training in Yemen and who killed 12 in August called Palestina, and he said, ‘We’re with world leaders who have no ties with people in an attack on the Charlie Hebdo going to make life intolerable …’ What do Israel, some of whom doubtless see him, too, satirical magazine on Jan. 7, 2015, had been you think these knifings are? It’s exactly a as an entree to American corridors of power. closely monitored by French security until manifestation of what he said in the book. days before the killings. IRANIAN THREAT I’m not saying that Iran dictated all of these “He said that they had guys watching the Hoenlein, who spoke with the Times of Israel attacks. But is this such a coincidence?” Charlie Hebdo people up until the Friday in Jerusalem last week, also issued a series before the attack, but he had to switch them of warnings about the Iranian regime and its TURKEY AND EGYPT to [watch] somebody else,” Hoenlein said. ambitions. He said the regime was sure to Prior to his organization’s weeklong confer- “They didn’t have enough people to allocate violate its nuclear deal with the world powers ence in Jerusalem last week, Hoenlein and to [monitor] all the [potentially dangerous] — “You know that they’re not going to keep more than 30 American Jewish leadership people all the time … He had a more imme- the agreement. Ask any of the serious people colleagues visited Turkey, where they met with diate case. He shifted them to something at the IAEA, as we have,” he said. President Erdogan, and Egypt, where they else. And bingo, you end up under attack.” He also charged that Tehran has 30-40,000 were hosted by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. Hoenlein has presided over the Conference agents active in South America, that it con- Hoenlein described Erdogan, and his for the past 30 years and is its executive vice stitutes a direct threat to the United States, stance on Israel, as an enigma, and cau- chairman. A fast-talking, Orthodox, no- and that it ultimately seeks world domina- tioned, “I don’t think we should look for nonsense Philadelphia native, former Soviet tion. “Read what Khamenei says and writes,” instant solutions in Israel-Turkish relations.” Jewry activist and self-styled “activist execu- urged Hoenlein. “He is clear about it.” Still, he said he appreciated how much time tive,” Hoenlein is an endlessly fascinating Jewish Agency for Israel/Zed Films/Times of Israel David Horovitz | Times of Israel Erdogan spent with group and thought it sig- nificant that the president chose to publicize the visit, and even issued a group photograph of their meeting. The U.S. Jewish leader enthused about Sissi and noted that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt had criticized the president for meeting with the Conference group. “He said when Sadat [made peace with Israel] 40 years ago, no one could have imag- ined that the current level of engagement and cooperation with Israel would exist,” Hoenlein said. “He said to me earlier: ‘If 30 years ago I would have said to you that 1,000 Egyptian war tanks would enter the Sinai, and Egyptian war planes would fly every day along the Israeli border, and nobody has to worry about a stray bullet, would you have believed me?’ He made this point several ways during the discussion about the level of [Egyptian-Israeli] cooperation, how it works and why it’s so important.” In contrast to Erdogan, Sissi “gets Hamas,” Hoenlein continued. “He gets the threat and the need to address it.” Hoenlein urged the U.S. and the West to help boost the Egyptian economy, including via a return of tourism — “if he can provide the stability.” Apropos stability and security, Hoenlein revealed, some of the intended participants on the group’s trip to the region “didn’t come because of concern about security in Turkey and in Egypt.” More than that, he added, some par- ticipants dropped out because of fears over security in Israel, where the trip culminated in a weeklong conference in Jerusalem that was addressed by many of Israel’s most prominent leaders, including the president and the prime minister. “We had people who didn’t come,” Hoenlein said. “There are a few spouses of leaders of organizations who didn’t want to participate here — I’m talking about the Israel part.” * For the text of Hoenlein’s interview, visit www. timesofisrael.com/malcolm-in-the-middle. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, meets with a del- egation of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, led by Stephen M. Greenberg, right, and Malcolm Hoenlein, center, in Ankara, Turkey.