http://hprsite.squarespace.com/the-israeli-perspective-112007/

In the summer issue of HPR, World Section Editor Andrew Miller sat down with the PLO’s ambassador to the United States. For this issue, he spoke with Itamar Rabinovich, Israel’s former representative in this country, about the most pressing issues facing his country.

Harvard Political Review: There’s been a lot of talk recently about what’s expected out of the upcoming peace conference at Annapolis. that President Bush is organizing. From your perspective, what would an ideal outcome, from the Israeli point of view, be?

Itamar Rabinovich: You mention the term ‘ideal.’ Ideally, I’d like to see an agreement with the Palestinians but that’s not really realistic. So, realistically, we have a mutually agreed text for a declaration of principles, accompanied by some measures on the ground, to be taken by both sides. That would be a realistic expectation.

HPR: What do you foresee the biggest challenges to be?

IR: First of all, to arrive at a mutually agreed text, because clearly the Palestinians want a more far-reaching one and Abbas needs to demonstrate some achievements. Also, Prime Minister Olmert wants to hang on to his coalition. He’s going to be very careful. The Saudis, in order to show off for the conference, want to see a more far-reaching text. And Secretary Rice will be trying to find a common ground between all these divergent, sometimes contradictory positions.

HPR: Could you describe how news of the recent purported Israeli strike on Syria has been received by the Israeli public?

IR: You know, I don’t know much about the strike effect. I can only speculate. It was, I think, a very bold, successful, and very significant raid. It was nuclear-related, and I speculate that it had to do with North Korea. Israel didn’t want to push Syria into a corner, so that Syria would be motivated to retaliate, and the result was what I call a conspiracy of silence. Now, silence was not in absolute terms-actually, quite a bit came out. And from the government’s point of view, the Israeli public is aware of the fact that there was a successful, daring raid. For a government that enjoyed-or rather did not enjoy-a very, very small percentage of support for the prime minister, this definitely was a boost.

It was also a boost for Defense Minister Barak, who just came into office. Whether he was directly involved, or not, it was perceived in Israel as his contribution to the elevation of national security.

HPR: Do you foresee the Prime Minister’s coalition being able to hang on for quite some time now, as a result of recent events?

IR: I don’t think this in itself can guarantee any longevity for the, for the government. The prime minister is being investigated on several corruption charges, charges formerly investigated by the Ministry of Justice and the police. It could blow in his face at any given moment. His coalition is not very stable.

HPR: Do you think there have been any changes to the U.S.-Israel relationship over the course of President Bush’s tenure, or now that his term is starting to wind down to a close?

IR: Bush is perceived to be a very good friend and a massive supporter of Israel. This came as somewhat of a surprise, because the Bush family doesn’t necessarily resonate with that. I think that his father’s administration ended up being a very positive administration for Israel, although there was quite a bit of friction between the administration and the Israeli government at the time. Normally, if you said the name “Bush” to an Israeli, he would immediately respond with “Texas, oil, Saudi Arabia,” but wouldn’t immediately link it with cordial sentiments for Israel.

George W. Bush is different because he is embedded in the Christian right. He’s a born-again. I think he wavered, just on the eve of September 11 attacks, under Saudi pressure. However, September 11 and Arafat’s misguided response to it implanted him very firmly upon Israel’s side. So he’s been perceived as a cordial friend of Israel. Yet not everything your friends do necessarily works for you. I think that the jury’s still out on what the long-term effects of the war in Iraq are going to be for Israeli interests.¨