I love good journalism. Edmund Sanders of the LA Times interviews Gabriela Shalev, a retired Israeli ambassador to the U.N. (who is the usual flavor of Israeli intolerance but who gets a platform at the Forward this week, too–gosh what has happened to the Jewish progressive tradition?), about the statehood initiative and Palestinian goals, and Israel’s collapsing image.
What is the Palestinians’ endgame now? To force Israel back to the negotiating table on better terms?
I’m not sure anymore that Palestinians really want negotiations. They don’t trust [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu. They know that peace talks will take a long time. They have a young generation that is sick and tired of what is happening in the region. So the strategy is to delegitimize Israel and launch a diplomatic war. They failed in all the other wars. In 1948, 1967, 1973, the economic boycott and in terrorism. Now this diplomatic war could bring them a lot of gains. The world has adopted their narrative, right or wrong. They see the Palestinians as occupied. Israel has not succeeded in bringing our story to the rest of the globe.
You’ve said recently that you think Israel’s international reputation is at a low point. How do you quantify that?
It’s low and will move even lower after September. I can’t measure it, but I feel it was never as bad. I remember when we were the underdogs and the world embraced us. Even during the [2005 Gaza Strip] disengagement, the world loved us. Now I have the feeling that we are seen more like South Africa once was. It frustrates and upsets me because I know Israel is different from the way it’s perceived. This is a wonderful country. But people don’t understand what is going on.
