I initially declined an invitation to talk with the new Israeli consul general to the Midwest, Elad Strohmayer. Consuls general are not traditionally fonts of valuable information. But Tuesday is the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks that cost 1,200 Israeli lives and the beginning of the war in Gaza that has killed 67,000 Palestinians and spurred a worldwide shift against Israel.
With nations lining up to recognize a Palestinian state, and social media echoing with full-throated condemnation of Israel’s continuation of the war, I felt obligated to hear what the nation’s officials have to say. This interview was done before President Trump’s 20-point peace plan was unveiled, but with talks going on in Egypt now, the Israeli position is even more relevant. Our interview was edited for space and clarity.
Q. What’s happening in Gaza? What are you doing?
A. Our goals are very, very simple. We want the hostages back, and we want Hamas to lay down its arms so it would never be able to threaten Israel. … We cannot end the war knowing that Hamas is still in power or Hamas has the ability to threaten Israel. That’s why we’re operating in Gaza now.
Q. Why doesn’t Hamas surrender? Wouldn’t that end the bloodshed?
A. That’s a question you need to ask Hamas. The reality is that they have a murderous ideology, and that ideology was known from the start, and they are very, very persistent in sticking to this ideology. They actually care nothing for the life of people in general — Palestinian life, Israeli life, Jewish life. Their murderous ideology is not going anywhere. That’s why they’re not surrendering. I might not be able to fight their ideology, because ideas are very strong. I just want to make sure that their ideology doesn’t have the military power to threaten Israel.
Q. You’ve got Donald Trump talking about exiling Palestinians from Gaza and building a new Riviera. What’s going to happen to the Palestinians?
A. I speak for the Israeli government. I don’t speak for President Trump and his administration, but I think his plan is being mischaracterized. He doesn’t want to exile all the Palestinians. The reality is we want to have as minimum casualties in Gaza fighting against Hamas. Look at what’s happening in Ukraine. Ukrainian people could leave and go to neighboring countries. Why doesn’t Egypt allow Palestinians to go into Egypt so we can do what needs to be done to clear Gaza of Hamas? Then anyone who wants to go back can go back. Prime Minister Netanyahu said it: We want to give them the opportunity to leave so they’ll be out of harm’s way, then anyone who wants to be back can come back. I’m saying this on the record.
Q. Let’s talk about the famine.
Yes, there are hungry people in Gaza. It breaks my heart to know there are hungry people in Gaza. But there is no systematic famine in Gaza. That’s the campaign against Israel. We made sure from the start that enough humanitarian assistance, enough food, enters into Gaza that there won’t be famine in Gaza. But Hamas looted the food, the food was not distributed to the right people, and that’s what created hungry people in Gaza. … I don’t want to see hungry people in Gaza. It’s not moral, and it’s also wrong for Israel. Everybody’s talking about the famine in Gaza. But again, nobody talks about the famine of our hostages. … The famine campaign is false.
Q. Is the two-state solution still viable?
A. A Palestinian state is not relevant at the moment. It’s a futile conversation to talk about a Palestinian state, because we need to make sure that if there is going to be, eventually — some political entity — that won’t be able to threaten Israel. We’re not there yet. They don’t recognize Israel as the homeland of all Jews. If we now create a Palestinian state, we have the fear extremists will take over that future so-called Palestinian state and then they will be able to do to central Israel from the West Bank what they did on Oct. 7.
Q. Talk about the PR war. You’ve got a terror group. You’ve got America’s closest ally, a democracy. Why is public perception so strong against Israel? What you call an “operation” is denounced as genocide.
A. I reject that term. The only one that wants to create a genocide is Hamas. They said that from the beginning. They want to kill all the Jews and throw us to the sea, that there should be no Jewish state. They’re the one that tried to commit a genocide Oct. 7. … The claims that we are committing genocide are preposterous, and they are false. These are lies being spread against Israel. On Oct. 7, Israel was attacked. But also on Oct. 7, an orchestrated campaign against Israel was started worldwide. If we wanted to commit a genocide we would not let humanitarian aid be distributed. We would not let people be notified before the [Israeli military] is going to be striking.
Palestinians are suffering in Gaza. I am not oblivious to their suffering. On the contrary. My heart aches when I see pictures of children suffering. But the reality is, this is the outcome of war. We don’t have a good PR. Justice is on our side, but the pictures coming out of Gaza are difficult. I understand. But who’s responsible for these pictures? Hamas.
Q. Where does antisemitism come in? Nobody says: Saudi Arabia is a Muslim country, it should cease to exist.
A. You touched it exactly. … I want to be clear: Not every criticism toward Israeli policy is antisemitism. I have arguments with people, and they say, ‘Oh, you wave the antisemitism card every time it’s convenient for you.’ No. We’re not perfect. Your country is not perfect. We make mistakes. Some of the criticism you point toward Israel might be legitimate. Might be agreed with by Israelis. That being said, we see a double standard toward the Jewish state. Intertwining criticism of Israel with antisemitism, going against the Jewish community for actions Israel is doing — that’s antisemitism. What we see, the overfixating with Israel in the international area, even if sometimes we earned the criticism, is antisemitism.
I want to say something about the protesters. Many protesters, their intentions are pure. But they come without knowledge. I’m willing to engage with them, I’m willing to talk with them, I’m willing to argue with them. We forgot it’s OK to argue, to disagree. In my country and in your country, the polarization is horrible. The base that is just fixated, is very very blind to the other side’s suffering. To the other side’s point of view. They’re the ones that spread false propaganda, and harm the good-intended protests who just want to make the world a better place.
By the way, I want to make the world a better place. It’s a Jewish value. We just ended Rosh Hashanah. We’re entering Yom Kippur. Tikkun olam, “repairing the world,” is a Jewish value. That’s what Israel is trying to do when we’re helping developing countries around the world. We believe in that value wholeheartedly. It a shame when people are protesting and are blind with hate and put a stain on the good people that just want to make a better world for everyone.
Q. How long is the war going to continue?
A. I’m not the policymaker here. I don’t know how long. I was speaking yesterday at a synagogue, and I said that my prayer for the new year is that in this new year, the war will end, the hostages will be free, and Israel will start the long and painful journey for healing and rebuilding herself. That’s what I hope for. Is that what’s going to happen? All depends on whether Hamas is willing to surrender, lay down its arms and release the hostages. It’s as simple as that. It can all end today, as we speak, if Hamas is doing that.