W
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 thou-
sand 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 suc-
ceed, and we will overcome this.
”
Ezra, who is completing five years as con-
sul general in July, will soon be returning
home after 14 years representing Israel in the
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 qual-
ity 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 equi-
librium with an entity that vows in its char-
ter 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 some-
thing 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 indiffer-
ence 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 understand-
ing 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 sup-
porters are active online in a way that Jews
and pro-Israel voices are not.
Ceasefire Holds
but Issues Remain
Unresolved
28 | JUNE 10 • 2021
Departing Israeli Consul General says
speaking out for Israel and stable Israeli
government are critical.
DON COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Aviv Ezra
ERETZ