The Last Exile

One of my favourite books on the Six Days War was written by Michael Oren who is now the Israeli Ambassador to the United States. He was interviewed by Jerome McDonnell of Chicago Public Radio, WBEZ and is fast becoming my favourite modern diplomat and here is why -.

 Jerome McDonnell:
 I talked recently with Naomi Klein, a Canadian Jewish person, and she supports a divestment movement, a boycott divestment and sanctions movement against Israel now, because it seems like the thing that is most stuck in her [indecipherable], if I can sum it up, is that she thinks Israel can exist within the parameters of international law and all the things we’ve been talking about are things where a lot of people think Israel exists outside the parameters of international law whether its Gaza, the embargo, water, these housing units, all these things look to many outsiders, even Jewish people like Naomi Klein, like Israel wants to play by its own set of rules, and not the same rules as everybody else. 

Ambassador Michael Oren:
 Well let me clarify something, Naomi Klein you described as a Canadian Jewish woman, is that a profession? Is that…

 Jerome McDonnell:
 Well she’s an author…

 Ambassador Michael Oren:
 Is that an ideological position? Does she have like a little card that says “Canadian Jew”? To the best of my knowledge Naomi Klein is a very radical Marxist, anti-American, anti-Western individual who in no way represents any mainstream. Now there are polls taken regularly that show, most recently that show between 67 and 71 percent of Americans think that Israel is a solid, worthy ally of the United States. Israel has extraordinarily good relations with over a billion Chinese, it has great relations with a hundred million Indians, it has wonderful relations with Eastern Europe, improving relations with Western Europe it has a historic alliance with the United States – just who are these many people that you seem to think that Israel exists outside the rule? Say maybe there’s a billion Muslims, they have that problem, well they have a problem with a lot of other things, not just with Israel. They have a problem with the United States, they have a problem with the West, and they have a problem with modernity, some of them…  Maybe it’s just those people that carry identity card that say “Canadian Jew” on them. I don’t know… I think you’ve gotta be a little bit more careful Jerome, and I don’t think necessarily Naomi Klein would be happy to hear you define her as Canadian Jew.

 Jerome McDonnell:
 Well, I mean I refer to lots of people as American Jewish people, I don’t think that’s really an issue. I just want to say…
 
Ambassador Michael Oren:
 Would you like to be referred to as a White American Methodist wearing glasses? 

 Jerome McDonnell:
 Not really. Well, I’m not a Methodist, but I am an American Catholic.

Naomi Klein – Professional Canadian Jewish person….this cracks me up. Who knows, maybe she can get business cards printed up like that too. Or have the reprints of ‘NO LOGO” say, Naomi Klein, Professional Canadian Jewish person…