Q&A With Daniel Ayalon on Israeli Foreign Policy
Article Summary and Author Biography
Israeli Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Daniel Ayalon answers questions about U.S.-Israeli relations and the future of the peace process.
DANIEL AYALON is Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel.
Reading List
An annotated Foreign Affairs syllabus on the Middle East peace process.
Snapshot
The expansion of Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem was a provocation aimed at the United States -- and only made the path toward long-term peace more difficult. If the Obama administration hopes to preserve its role as a broker of future Mideast peace talks, it must hold firm in applying international resolutions on the issue.
Snapshot
There is an alternative to the Obama administration's misguided policy, since Israelis care less about holding onto settlements than about stopping Iran's nuclear program.
Essay
Rather than pursuing a final-status deal now, Israel and the Palestinian Authority should agree to establish a Palestinian state within temporary armistice boundaries. Without it, the Palestinians may abandon the idea of a two-state solution altogether.
Author Interview
Ehud Yaari answers questions about U.S.-Israeli relations and the Middle East peace process.
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GIDEON ROSE: This is Gideon Rose from Foreign Affairs, and we’re delighted to have the opportunity to interview one of the most impressive players in the diplomatic arena and a key player in recent events and future events in the Middle East and beyond.
Minister Ayalon, welcome.
DANNY AYALON: Thank you. Pleasure to be here, Gideon.
ROSE: Let’s get right to it.
It has been -- the recent flap in U.S.-Israel relations -- has been described as the most serious in decades, past even the Bush 41 flap over settlements and going back into previous decades.
What do you think caused this crisis, and how did it sort of erupt so quickly?
AYALON: Well, it was accidental. There was a glitch. We’re not proud of it, but I wouldn’t go to the extent of describing it as a real crisis. Certainly, there was a lot of misunderstanding here, but I would say now, as real allies and good friends, it’s not that there are no disputes, but I think the way we manage them is the real testament to a true friendship. I think we’re over it.
And the most important thing, even out of this, is to make sure that we know how to manage the ones down the road. Because evidently, I mean, inevitably, there are going to be some ups and downs, but we are working for the same thing, for the same goal.
ROSE: The ones down the road -- you’re referring to Iran or a Palestinian track --
AYALON: Both.
ROSE: -- or a Syrian track?
AYALON: Basically, the Palestinian track. I think on Iran there is no daylight between us and the administration and certainly the United States in terms of vision and goals and even tactical issues.
On Syria, well, the jury’s still out. I believe Syria right now is really behaving very recklessly in the sense that they subject or submit their own interests to the Iranian ones.
ROSE: Well, let’s turn back to Iran a second and get back to Syria.
With regard to the Palestinian track, certainly it seemed like there was some dramatic tension a few weeks ago. Was that because of a misunderstanding? And if so, what was it that the Americans got so offended by, and what was it that the Israelis got so offended by on the part of the Americans?
AYALON: Well, I think, first of all, we were embarrassed. I mean, the fact that when we had such a great friend, a staunch ally, the vice president of the United States, Joe Biden, in Israel, in Jerusalem, of course, this issue of the announcement on building even though we . . . I think it was totally legitimate -- we’re talking about Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem which under no circumstances will not be a part of Israel. But to have it done in such a way which was not, of course, coordinated and nobody knew about it in the government. This was an embarrassment to us.
I believe that it was seen by us that after all the apology, which was due and was rightly given by us, we thought this issue was over. And then there was a 24-hour kind of delayed reaction whereby some of us thought that maybe it was, there was a taking advantage of the situation by some to really corner us and put more pressure.
But again, I think now things are back in order.
ROSE: Ehud Yaari said in an interview with Foreign Affairs a month ago that there was no question that this was a deliberate plot by the Obama administration to topple the Israeli government by putting them in an impossible situation. Do you believe that?
AYALON: I think this is nonsense, not at all, not at all. And I think that, you know, we live today, unfortunately, in an era where conspiracies are rampant, but I think this is just total nonsense.
ROSE: So if the American, if that wasn’t the American intention, was their overreaction or their actions in picking it up again after it seemed to have subsided simply incompetence on their part?
AYALON: No. I don’t think so, not at all. I think, again, it was part of the misunderstanding, part of the mishandling. And again, I think mistakes were being done on two sides of the ocean.
The wise thing to do, and I wish and I trust that we all learn out of it the right lessons.
ROSE: To an unsophisticated observer, somebody not steeped in diplomatic niceties, the idea that the crisis was caused by the revelation or discussion or announcement of some things that weren’t in themselves controversial doesn’t really make sense.
So I’m curious: Is there actually, in your opinion, a difference of opinion between the United States and the government of Israel about the future of East Jerusalem or Israeli settlements there?
AYALON: Absolutely. And you know, we’re not trying to hide it. And there’s nothing new, by the way, Gideon.
The fact is that the American policy over the last eight administrations, I believe -- you know, it spans over the last 43 years -- has not really changed. But as strong allies, we have always managed to isolate this dispute and not let it spill over the gamut of the relationship, which is so strong in the strategic sense, in the economic sense, and every other sense. And we’ll continue to do that and make sure it doesn’t spill over.
The dispute is there. However, I think the most important thing is that we do not argue between ourselves as allies but to put these questions not for Israelis and Americans but for Israelis and Palestinians. And this is what we need to see.
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