Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren has a new life as a college lecturer in Israel and the author of a forthcoming book about his time in Washington, Oren has shifted gears, and he now openly speaks about his abiding concerns over Israel’s standing in the world, in particular its relationship with its most important ally, the United States.
Speaking in New York at the annual Scholar-Statesman dinner of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Oren flatly stated that “this administration [in Washington] has a worldview that is not in accord with any Israeli government,” not only the current one. Indicating his belief that President Obama is more ideologically inclined to favor the Arab world, Oren said the White House views East Jerusalem communities as not necessarily an actual part of the Jewish state, a position he contends no Israeli government would accept.
Following the March 17 elections, Israel’s next government “likely will move to the right,” Oren projected, according to the Jewish Week, “and America may be going a different way.” He repeatedly stated that “Israel has to take responsibility for itself.”
Commenting on the West’s negotiations with Iran regarding its nuclear program, Oren first noted that Israel’s “margin for error is exactly zero” on this issue, based on the stark reality of Iran’s longstanding threat to destroy the Jewish state. The former ambassador went on to effectively cast doubt on the contentions by some that Iran has reversed its policy of being the world’s leading exporter of terrorism, that Iranian leaders have changed their pattern of lying about the nuclear program, and that the West is likely to take military action to prevent Tehran from producing a nuclear bomb.
“If your children and grandchildren’s’ lives depended on it, you may reach a different conclusion,” Oren maintained, adding: “We [the Jewish people] have not come back after 2,000 years to disappear.”
Oren told the audience that he is very skeptical about a peace deal with the Palestinians. Instead, he recommended “a two-state situation” that calls for “movement” with the Palestinians on an incremental basis. The newly uninhibited ex-diplomat spoke of “managing the conflict” and striving to enhance the lives of Israelis and Palestinians through cooperation in trade and exports until conditions improve sufficiently to explore a real peace.
“Inaction isn’t an option,” Oren declared in a separate discussion. “Israel needs to take its fate into its own hands, and to come out with a political initiative that will serve its interests.”
