Interview with general Council of Israel in Saint-Petersburg Michael Lotem
Ksenia Sotnikova, student of 4 year, SPbU, Faculty of journalism, International Journalism: Mr. Council! Relationships between the USSR, then Russia and Israel have a very long history. We had episodes of rejection of each other and times of close contacts. How do you think how can affect on our relationship Russia's decision to supply defense systems S-300 to Iran?
Michael Lotem, general Council of Israel in Saint-Petersburg: First, good evening! You’re right that relationship between Russia and Israel are very good. You addressed the issue C-300. I would rather take it into a broder to prospective in whole plan, sighting of an agreement with Iran which took place the last negotiations a few weeks ago in Lozan. Israel considers this agreement to be a bad in and that it will encourage and raise arms in the Middle-East. Something that if we not do good to anybody will harm the region and the international security.
Varvara Kroz, student of 4 year, SPbU, Faculty of journalism, International Journalism: Mr. Council! In Russian media sometimes there appears information that the Israeli’s policy is directly connected to the US position with regard to Russia. However, those same media have reported that the actions of the United States related to some foreign policy issues are criticized in Israel. Can you tell how Israel sees the future world order? Can this bellicose rhetoric lead to war?
Michael Lotem: I back to the fact that USA and Israel are best friends. Like between friends we sometimes have different opinions. We have in all independent for own policy, independent interest. And as I mentioned before relations with Russia are very strong. They are close – Russia is a good friend. We have countial, humanitarian lines. And that’s not something that you set aside, and not something that we won’t to set aside. That’s a philosophical question how we see the world order. We don’t see it as zeromb of some game between the different powers. Obviously that any international system have different powers and have different interest. Surely not between the US and Russia. We do see it as a zeromb some game when it comes to rock and extrimists countries or states and regimes, or terrorists supporting regimes and the rest of the world. Than it a zero son game: either we lose or we win. We should not coexist with this states and this regimes. And I think that in this aspect US, Russia, Israel and many other countries are in the same boat. It’s not that Russia’s supports, or the US or any other of allied world. Support ISIS for instance. And Israel is on the other side and all the other countries are on the other side. We all are at the same boat, trying to fight for the same causes against the same enemy.
Ksenia Sotnikova: Mr. Council! In Russian media are marked trend of increasing national consciousness. You are working in the North-West of Russia. And naturally you should have information about the mood of Russians towards Israel. Have you noticed cases of worsening relationships of ordinary citizens to the Jewish population?
Michael Lotem: It will be a very short question – not at all! Really! I don’t think that it not a mental, that’s personal experience. We have statistics. I think that situation in Russia is very good and fortunately it’s not the case in different other countries. And we saw in the last hill the rising antisemithic attacks combine to terrorists attacks in different parts in Europe. And back to the question – we (that’s not a personal question – If I feel safe, I did feel there safe. But I think that Jewish community feels safe – that’s what is more important.
Varvara Kroz: Mr. Council! If you listen to the media, conflict situation in Israel is like a common thing. Be sure someone shoots or divides something. At the same time our peers who have been in Israel and in Palestine say that the state of conflict is supported only by media. It looks as if they have forgotten how to write about the good things. What do you think about the role of the media in shaping the "enemy image"?
Michael Lotem: So you see even the media wont as to take a grain of salt. What you see from faraway – of cause you see it throw the prism. Not always the media houses reflect reality, and of cause they focuses on the unnormal, unusual. Sometimes unfortunately they pretend it, or put it as the main. So, if you want to know the reality - there I’s only one and simple way – come to Israel. Experience it itself, and you will see that live goes on, business goes on, cultural and social activities go on. Occasionally unfortunately we have also isotose attacks or we have more than this. But the live goes on smoothly. Much better I think if I may say in many other places in the world.
Ksenia Sotnikova: Mr. Council! It is believed that nowadays young-people almost do not read newspapers and watch television only when they are sitting at home in the kitchen. In this way, youth are skipping almost all about politics past. Young people use the Internet not fir receiving information. This is an opportunity for them to solitude. How do you think for the Israeli youth what the Internet is? Is it just the way communication or source of information? How do you think, can we trust the Internet today?
Michael Lotem: Listening to your question I thought that you are talking about my sun, who is of cause an example of many other guises age 15-16 who spend too much time against the screen. Unfortunately not always getting the information, sometimes – playing, or most of the time playing. Internet of cause can be very useful and the source of information, but like with any source of information, and books also, (books can be also of cause misleading). The one is to use is brain and see where to criticize. To check and recheck in formation and then it makes the sense of sees or hees.
Ksenia Sotnikova: Mr. Council! In terms of patriotic education, Israel can be compared to the US: in both countries, people are very patriotic and love their country. The country is home for 8 million people, and foreigners regularly come to serve in the Israeli army. How Israel manages to maintain its identity and resistant spirit, despite the many wars and conflict situation?
Michael Lotem: I would make permission that all they are related to Israel, because Israel is quite unique phenomenon and without regard to the US. The cohesion of society in Israel, of Israel is very big. There are many facts of contribute it: it’s internal force which brings us together and unfortunately the external force that pushes us together. So it was before: the establishment of the state, the atmosphere, than the policies, the practice in Europe that pushed us one to the other, even Jews in Germany that wanted to become fully integrate in German society, they were pushed away by the nazis. And at the same time we have from beginning of the 20 century the growing spirit of national identity, certainly national identity within the Jewish community which lead to establishment of the state. So we came back to the language we used thousands years ago, we came back to the land we lived thousands years ago, we arrived culture, we create more. And there is of cause a very authentic feeling in the society which leads to patriotic feeling. If you had all this external pressure, the fact that some of our neighbors at least don’t really won’t to see us, and that plays, that of cause made look at things as they are.
Varvara Kroz: Mr. Council! Since the last summer, a radical movement Islamic state actively developed and today it is a threat to the free world. April 16 there militants of ISIS have made a statement about taking under their control one of the largest refineries in the north of Iraq Baiji in Salahuddin province. Earlier ISIS lost control of the three oil refineries and lost control over 30% of Iraqi territory because of the blows dealt by the United Arab coalition and the Iraqi army. How do you think does Israel feel pressure from ISIS?
Michael Lotem: The short answer would be that we see ISIS in front of us in the Hollandes, across the good defense with Sirian. They got to the air of Kunetra, very close to defense, to the international border, to sirian border – better say. So we feel the pressure.
But you started with a very actual comment that it the thread of the international peace. And this is why we see so many countries and the coalitions against it. We see ISIS threatening everybody: from Russia to European countries and US and so on, but not only this, also Arab countries. We see many of arab countries heading the camp fighting ISIS. From my point of view as an Israeli, it’s not only about ISIS. The question is that extremists regimes, it doesn’t matter if its sheets or sonnies or tomorrow it will be another religion or another quaid. The name of it is less important. The content is important, and what they do. There are gropes that use extreme ideology, religion in this case, to do ohendess acts that we all weackness. We will be misleading and we we’ll fail our task if we try to look only at the headline (if I’s sonnies, sheets or others). We have to fight with such phenomenon’s as they are. Iran is an issue, is a problem not because of the Iranian people, but because the way it’s leaders take it. Rule it. And the terrorist support and extreme policy, the extremist policy they lead. Again we have to look at policies and the practices of this countries, or in that case this groups.
Varvara Kroz: Mr. Council! The situation in your region for quite a long time remains restless. How do you rate the atmosphere among the civilian population? Do locals feel themselves safe?
Michael Lotem: Well. It depends. In general… Who feel safe? I feel safe, my colleagues feel safe, my friends, my family feel safe. To say that it is 100% of the time, 100% of the time it will be ridiculous, because in the hide of the terrorists attacks in 2010, and in Sourthen part of Israel a year ago, or in the Northern part of Israel in 2006, the war with Lebanon, with Hisbala… Of cause people felt less safe, no doubt. The important thing is if they felt safe. The important thing what they did followed. And they steack throw to the different periods, they steack to the place they living, the live they are leading, to the a walking place. That’s the answer. The question for soldier is not if he is afraid in a dramatic situation in the heat of battle. If he’s a human being mostly he will be afraid. The question is: if he keeps on fighting. And I think that we keep on. Not only fighting. We keep on living.
Varvara Kroz: Michael, Do you have a dream?
Michael Lotem: If I have a dream? Yes, I have different dreams, and I can call all of them now. I hope, maybe that’s not only a dream, it’s a hidden plan. I’d like to take 6-7 weeks in traveling in different places, in the nature. That’s one of them!
Опубликовано 30 июня 2015
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