Ambassador Ron Dermer makes push for Israel
By ALAN SMASON
Israel Ambassador Ron Dermer made a distinct, positive and upbeat spokesperson for the State of Israel at an event sponsored by Israel Bonds at the Uptown Jewish Community Center last night.
Israel Ambassador Ron Dermer meets Louisiana State Treasurer John Kennedy to thank him for purchasing $18 million of Israel Bonds as part of the state’s investment portfolio. (Photo ©2014 Cheryl Gerber)
Dermer, 43, who is a former columnist for the Jerusalem Post and a co-author of the 2004 book “The Case for Democracy” with Natan Sharanky, was accompanied by his lovely wife and mother of his five children, Rhonda.
Dermer has been moving up in areas of responsibility within the inner circle of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for several years, beginning with a stint as an economic envoy in 2007 and later as Netanyahu’s senior advisor. He was confirmed not quite a year and a half ago in July, 2013 as Israel’s 18th Ambassador to the United States.
Before speaking to a large audience of approximately 200 individuals, Dermer appeared at a private affair hosted by Brad Young of Israel Bonds to which major purchasers of Israel Bonds were invited. Also appearing at that event were New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne, state treasurer John Kennedy and several state legislators.
Young spoke prior to the introduction of the ambassador, urging the individual support of Israel with the purchase of Israel investment bonds and singling out Kennedy for his recent purchase of $18 million of Israel Bonds for the state treasury’s investment portfolio. “No one has ever lost money investing in Israel Bonds,” he reminded the audience.
Louisiana State Treasurer John Kennedy speaking at the Uptown JCC at the Israel Bonds appeal with Israel Ambassador Ron Dermer. (Photo by Alan Smason)
Kennedy also spoke to the crowd, emphasizing that the simple reason the state undertook the opportunity to purchase the bonds was that “it is a good investment.”
Dermer was introduced to the podium by Alan Franco, who noted that several Israelis from New Orleans’ sister city in Israel, Rosh Hayim, were also in attendance. Dermer first addressed Kennedy, thanking him for his role as state treasurer and noting that the number 18 has mystical connotations, just like 3, 7 and 10.
“After 18, though, you pretty much have to double your investment,” he joked as the crowd laughed in accordance. Dermer said that the last time he was in New Orleans was in 2010, when he traveled with Netanyahu to the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America as his senior advisor. He said he never left the room.
“This time I got a chance to go and see this beautiful city. It’s such a charming and wonderful city,” he continued.
When looking up descriptions of the sights of the city, Dermer said one word continually came up on Internet search queries: “unique.” New Orleans is a unique city, he admitted. So is Venice, Italy and Jerusalem.
“Tonight I want to talk to you about a unique country. Israel is a unique country,” Dermer noted. “We’re unique not just for our food and our architecture,” he went on, pointing out the frenzied pace of Israel and its high tech society. “Remember, Israelis go to Manhattan to unwind,” he joked. “A week in Israel feels like a month, because there’s so much to do there,” Dermer added.
Israel Ambassador Ron Dermer. (Photo by Alan Smason)
Dermer talked about the unique challenge facing the Jewish State. He noted that to its north, there is a disorganized grouping of what formerly was the nation of Syria (including ISIL or ISIS although he did not mention them by name). To its west is Lebanon controlled by the Hezbollah terrorist organization, which act as the proxies for Iran with thousands of missiles ready to be launched at Israel, he said.
“Then, you go down south and you come to Gaza,” the ambassador continued. There, he said, is Hamas, whose constitution deals with the death of Jews worldwide and which has launched 20,000 rocket attacks against Israel, 4,500 of which were fired just this past summer prior to and during Operation Protective Shield. And in the areas known alternatively as either the West Bank or Judea and Sameria, “the situation seems to be deteriorating.”
Throughout its history, the Israeli Defense Forces have stood at the forefront, protecting Israeli citizens from terrorism, Dermer acknowledged. Openly, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas is not a member of Hamas, the ambassador continued. “That’s not what President Abbas is. The problem is that President Abbas doesn’t confront these killers.” More devastating than that is that often “these terrorists in Palestinian society are glorified as heroes,” he noted.
The recent attack by two terrorists on a Jersualem synagogue in the Har Nof neighborhood killed four Jewish Israelis and one Druze police officer responding to the attack. “As sick as it was,” Dermer added, “it was no less sick to see people celebrating those attacks.”
Israel Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer at the JCC on December 11, 2014. (Photo ©2014 by Cheryl Gerber)
Israel is unique, because of these challenges, Dermer stated. But Israel is also unique because of what it represents in the region, a standard for democracy.
The Israeli ambassador decried the double, triple and quadruple standard to which Israel is held during periods of crisis, such as occurred this summer during Operation Protective Edge. “They accused us of being war criminals,” he said incredulously, stating for the record that Israel has exercised enormous restraint in its response.
Dermer was also unable to understand how Abbas could travel to the United Nations recently and accuse Israel of genocide. “Genocide is what happened in Rwanda. Genocide is what happened in the Sudan. Genocide is what happened at Auschwitz,” Dermer exclaimed. “The leader of the Palestinians has the temerity to say that,” he said, “and what’s worse is he gets a standing ovation.”
After discussing the topsy-turvy political situation in Israel with power struggles ongoing in the Knesset, Dermer turned his most cautionary words towards Iran and the possibility that it could achieve nuclear capability. It is what he termed an “existential challenge.” “The Arab world is petrified of a nuclear armed Iran,” he said. “We have and Iranian regime that is committed to Israel’s destruction and they are racing ahead,” he explained.
Dermer categorized the nation of Iran under the supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini as “the foremost sponsor of terrorism in the world across five different countinets and 25 different countries. “Remember, America, you are the ‘great Satan,” Dermer added. “we’re just the little Satan.”
Israel activist Chloe Valdary and Israel Ambassador Ron Dermer. (Photo by Alan Smason)
He continued to warn against a nuclear capable Iran. “Ladies and gentlemen, we must never allow as such a regime to develop nuclear weapons. Period. Period.” Dermer said that “Israel’s position is not to square the circle. Israel will not be satisfied with half measures. The weapons capability of Iran must be fully dismantled, he posited.
“When you’re dealing with a fanatic like this, you don’t go for half measures,” Dermer said. “If Iran is going to have a peaceful program, let them have a peaceful program. You don’t need centrifuges for a peaceful program. You don’t need a heavy water facility,” he averred.
Dermer also questioned the need for Iran to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles, also known as ICBMs. Only in cartoons with Wil E. Coyote do you strap TNT to a missile, Dermer mused. “In the real world, the only thing you put on an ICBM is a nuclear weapon.”
Following a brief question and answer period, Dermer met with audience members, many of whom had been bused in from Metairie and at the Uptown Square campus of Tulane University. Among the many people he spoke with prior to leaving was Chloe Valdary, the University of New Orleans student, who was profiled recently as a major activist for Israel. Her profile can be found online here.
