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

