Three priorities of the Israeli Ambassador

New Ambassador of the State of Israel to Ukraine Eli Belotserkovsky traditionally gave his first interview to our newspaper. Despite the fact that the Ambassador spent the previous three missions in English-speaking countries, he speaks perfect Russian. And at the end of the interview, in reply to the journalist’s todah rabah (“thank you very much” in Hebrew) as an expression of gratitude for the conversation, Belotserkovsky replied shchyro diakuyu (“thank you sincerely” in Ukrainian).

You have previously been on missions to India, Singapore, and Cyprus. Was going to Ukraine your personal decision, or was the choice made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?

“The routine in our MFA is set in a way, which lets people choose where to go themselves, as a rule. They are sent to the first or second missions, and starting from the third one, everyone is free to choose.

“In this case, the choice was mine. Ukraine is a very interesting place from the perspective of foreign relations. I am glad I got to come here.”

Was your decision caused purely by interest, or did your origin play a role? Judging by your last name, one could think that your ancestors lived in Bila Tserkva.

“I know this town is not far away from here. I have been asked about it ever since my arrival. I was born in Chisinau, and perhaps one of my ancestors from remote past had really lived in Bila Tserkva. But my father was born in Chisinau, and so was his family. We do not know who lived in Bila Tserkva. But someone probably did.”

I have seen in your CV that you started your career as a manager at Meitav, a high tech company. The earnings should have been good there, but nevertheless you decided to become a diplomat. Why?

“I was interested in various countries since early childhood. I used to read about geographical discoveries when I was little. I was fascinated by them. And diplomacy is an area where one can combine interest in cultures and various civilizations. Secondly, perhaps it is the most interesting occupation, except for journalism. Thirdly, it is an opportunity to represent your country, participate in the development of relations between nations, and make a personal contribution to Israel’s development. And this is of crucial importance for me.”

Recently the 26-century-long friendship between Georgians and Jews was celebrated in Georgia. Has friendship between our peoples existed for a shorter period of time? Perhaps, we should organize similar celebrations? What is your opinion on that?

“I was in Georgia at the time of the celebrations. Jews and Ukrainians have lived in Kyiv together since the day the city was founded. In particular, this is mentioned in a letter by one of Jewish merchants to his relative in Cairo, which was preserved in the Library of Alexandria. Therefore, our nations have been living together for a long time. Of course, there were various moments of our common history, but I think that in general, there is a positive result. About 600,000 of immigrants from Ukraine live in Israel now and keep in touch with their relatives in Ukraine.”

Your boss Avigdor Lieberman said while commenting on the results of the election in Ukraine: “The general composition of the new Verkhovna Rada is favorable and positive.” Since you are here, what can you say about the importance of this election?

“We have been watching this election, moreover, some embassy employees worked as observers. From what we have seen, the election was democratic, transparent, and free. We think it was an important step towards the solution of problems that Ukraine is facing now. And of course, we are looking forward to the new government and cooperation with it.”

You have probably noticed the current discussions on the ways to build the Ukrainian army. Israeli and Swiss options are mentioned. What is your opinion on it?

“I’m not an expert in this area. I think you need to build your army according to Ukrainian standard. Each place has its own specific features. Switzerland has its own, we have ours. It is very hard to draw parallels here, and moreover, use stereotypes. I think you need to come up with a standard of your own, which will suit you, and then develop it further.”

I have been to Ben-Gurion’s Hut several years ago. And I noticed a quote there which said that the army is a basis of a nation’s upbringing.

“There is a specific approach to military service in Israel. Firstly, a soldier and his individuality receive the most attention. From our point of view, a soldier, an individual, is the most important link. It is even more important than the best equipment and the most up-to-date technology. And that is why the army is not merely an army, but training young people for the future. A part of people learn a trade in the army, and they also receive specific skills, because everyone is obliged to serve in Israel, including women. So, it unites all layers of the society.”

Did you serve as well?

“Yes, just as everybody else, I was called up for military service at the age of 18 and spent 4 years in the air force.”

Discussions on whether to join the collective defense system or not have been carried out in Ukraine for a long time. Now, after Maidan, society is more predisposed to joining NATO, even though neither we nor the Alliance is ready for it. That is why lately the government has been hoping to acquire the major non-NATO ally status. Your country has this status, what does it give to Israel?

“We participate in various programs and cooperate with NATO. But the most important component of Israel’s security doctrine is that we have to rely on ourselves. And of course, cooperate with various organizations.”

You receive approximately three billion of military aid annually as a US ally.

“Yes, this is due to the fact that Israel is in a very difficult situation. We do not have enough people to resist our hostile neighbors. And we need to maintain the advantage in quality all the time, because we cannot prevail them in numbers.”

What goals have you set for your term in Ukraine?

“We are greatly interested in further development of our connections with Ukraine. I think that economy will be the main area of our activity. Despite the fact that Ukraine is going through such a difficult stage in its development now, a large number of Israeli companies are interested in cooperating with Ukrainian companies and developing projects together.

“We are also interested in development of humanitarian cooperation. Besides, we have started a training program for psychologists who will work with the injured.

“And within the framework of cultural cooperation we are planning to bring culture figures from Israel to create joint projects with Ukrainian artists. A group from Jerusalem will arrive soon and perform at a festival here.”

Recently, minister Klimkin visited Israel. He wrote on Twitter that he had a “powerful conversation” with your prime minister. I would like to hear your opinion on the results of this visit.

“I would like to leave out specific details, since it was a tete-a-tete conversation. But I would like to confirm that the visit was indeed positive. And despite the fact that it was organized on a very short notice, the Ukrainian minister could also meet the foreign minister, speaker of the parliament, head of the parliamentary commission on defense and foreign relations – the Knesset’s most important commission. The atmosphere of the meetings was warm and open. That is why I    think everyone was pleased with the results.”

It is known that your country has stopped selling unmanned aerial vehicles to Russia. I have been to a plant where they are produced. Our country is interested in purchasing drones, in particular for the purpose of controlling the border between Russia and Ukraine. Has there been any progress there, or does something hamper the purchase of UAVs by Ukraine?

“I am sorry, but we usually do not give comments to the press on military cooperation and whether it is present or not.”

And what about cooperation in the peaceful exploration of outer space? Almost two years ago I saw a nanosatellite at the space department of the IAI, which was mentioned by President Peres. Ukraine is a world-famous manufacturer of launch vehicles. Are there any specific results in our countries’ cooperation in the space sector?

“Indeed, we see no obstacles for cooperation in this area. Peaceful exploration of outer space is one of the sectors we are going to cooperate in.”

Former minister Stavytsky, who received Israeli citizenship and is hiding from Ukrainian justice, is in Israel now. Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office addressed your state with a request to extradite him. Will Israel’s government do it?

“This request is being considered by the justice ministries of both countries. Everything is done according to the law.”

I have seen an article in Israeli press that economists are looking for ways to bring down the cost of living in Israel. Can it really be decreased by the construction of a new port in Ashdod, as it was recently stated by Benjamin Netanyahu?

“We have economic problems of our own. It is true, the cost of living is high in Israel. As for the port, it poses a specific problem for Israel. Trade union movement is very powerful in my country. There is also a very strong trade union at the port, which does not always affect the result of the port’s operation in a positive way. Besides, considering its size and capacities, we need to construct one more port. It will make trade easier and also affect the cost of Israelis’ living.

“The main problem we are facing is high defense expenses. That is why we cannot allocate enough funds for other areas. Nevertheless, we managed to achieve certain results. The inflation rate is very low in Israel, the average salary is rather high, the living standard and health care are great. A lot of Ukrainians who undergo treatment in Israel could see it with their own eyes.”

A lot of countries have signed or are signing the Association Agreement with the EU. How does the cooperation between Israel and the EU develop?

“We have very close relations with the European Union. We are one of the few countries who are not EU member states, but are included in all of its scientific programs. But the main measure in economic partnership for us is the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. We are truly trying to implement European standards, without joining the EU, but for our citizens to have a good standard of living. Indeed, a lot of the EU standards are an example that should be followed. But we are not trying to implement all the legislation acquis communitaire, because joining the EU is not our goal.”

The settlement of the Palestine-Israel situation has been going on for many years. Do you see the prospect of creation of two states, Palestine and Israel, and their peaceful coexistence?

“Firstly, if you ask any Israeli, it is a dream and hope of any of us, to finally live a normal life and finally settle this conflict. Our leaders have stated multiple times that we are ready for compromise. Unfortunately, Palestinians and Arab states are under very strong influence of extremists. That is why all these declarative steps towards recognizing the Palestinian state do not promote the creation of an atmosphere of trust, in which negotiations could have been started. We hope that the Palestinian government will soon start taking real steps to truly begin negotiations instead of appealing to various international organizations and addressing individual countries to recognize these declarations once again.”

World mass media often say that the Israeli government expands settlements on the West Bank of the Jordan, thus violating the borders of Palestine of 1967. How can you comment on that?

“The thing is that people live on these territories. There are a lot of Arabs and Jews there. And of course, it is the reason construction will take place. No one ever says that Arabs build their homes in this disputable land. But when Jews start building, it becomes an international issue of major importance. People live there, they have children who must live somewhere too. And that is why a situation emerges when we are to blame, despite the fact that what we have here is happening in any other normal country. It seems to me that all these accusations of building settlements are just an exercise by Palestinians to change the topic of negotiations. We openly stated that everything is on the negotiations table and we are ready to talk about it, including the settlements, and solve this problem. But so far everything is put on hold, nothing moves, there are no negotiations. So, regulation is simply impossible.”

Press also informs that Netanyahu had a quarrel with Obama because of this.

“Press informs about a great many things. (Laughs.) I don’t have to tell this to you. You know it as well. We have very close relations of long standing with the US. So, not everything that appears in the press is important.”

By the way, have the recent events in our country affected tourist traffic between our countries?

“I think that tourism is one of the key cooperation areas. For example, my colleagues, Israeli ambassadors in other countries, are jealous because of the intensive connection between Israel and Ukraine. There are three or four flights every day, all of them full. I have flown many times and I saw a lot of people on the planes. I have seldom met people in Ukraine who haven’t been to Israel. And I think that such close bilateral ties are a very good foundation for the development of relations. So, everything is very positive.”