Malta 'ought to toe the EU line'

The Palestinian people have elected a new President but Israeli Ambassador to Malta Ehud Gol believes Mahmoud Abbas should root out the radicals before proving he is the link to peace in the Middle East. In an interview with Herman Grech, Mr Gol expresses disdain for the late Yasser Arafat and urges Malta to stop acting as a rapporteur to Palestine.

Everyone seems to be hailing Mahmoud Abbas's victory as a golden opportunity for peace. Is it just wishful thinking or does he really have the necessary qualities to make a breakthrough in the region?
For me it's not just a window of opportunity but a door. Mr Arafat is now out of the picture. People are now discovering that Mr Arafat was such a negative and destructive influence for the last 40 years. It's amazing that in an Arab entity democratic elections have been held. I will not praise or embrace Mr Abbas but I will not attack him either. He obtained a solid majority. It's now up to him to do the right thing for the Palestinian state - to create one government, one police force, one authority.

Why shouldn't you embrace him when he is a democratically elected President who's willing to give peace a chance?
If we do so, it will be a disservice. Let's not forget he has already used certain unfriendly terms to attack us - he even referred to us as the Zionist enemy, a term that even Mr Arafat refrained from using. He still has to prove himself. Mr Abbas has to wisely and effectively use the 30,000-strong police force at his disposal. He should address the extreme elements like the Jihad, Hamas - those that are launching the rockets. Once he stops the terror he will find us on the other side making dialogue with him and even completing the withdrawal with him.

Though Mr Abbas has condemned the use of violence, he hasn't as yet shown any willingness to root out terror groups like Hamas. Do you fear this?
Of course, that's a reason for concern. When you're a leader you can't appease every group because you'll end up being their victim. And believe me, they will try and find a weakness on his behalf and they will crush him.

Do you think that the ghost of Mr Arafat will live on in the leadership of the Palestinian Authority?
There are so many voices within the Palestinian camp that are tired of he bloodshed and want a change.

You have been openly critical of the Palestinians in the past...
Not of the Palestinians but of Mr Arafat.

You've argued that there's an element of terror ingrained in them.
The hatred and incitement is no less dangerous than terror itself. Instead of educating them to learn how to coexist in peace they've poisoned generations. At the age of three, they took pictures of kids armed with explosives and guns. That was a tragedy.

Are you saying there's little hope of Palestinians living in peace among themselves?
I am saying that under a new leadership there will be more reasoning. I'm not expecting the Palestinians to be pro-Israeli and love us. But I expect them to be more pragmatic and realise that in order to move forward they have to co-exist with us and this means compromise from both sides. Why should it always be Israel to make the concessions? Even now, I heard a Maltese dignitary saying he welcomed Mr (Ariel) Sharon's step of disengagement but that more was expected of him. With all due respect, why should it only be Israel that has to make painful concessions?

Israel has often been chastised for being heavy handed with many because of the actions of the few. Will this policy continue?
I've just been to a conference of ambassadors in Israel and they showed us some classified material about the way they launch the Kassam rockets from residential areas. They do it because they realise our sensitivity. Ninety-nine per cent of the time we hesitate to shoot back because it's a residential area. But one per cent of the time we will shoot back and innocent people might be hurt. There's a limit to our patience.

When do you see an independent Palestinian state?
If it weren't for Mr Arafat we'd have seen an independent Palestinian state since 2000. The Palestinians never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity; they did it in 1947, 1967 and 2000. We hope to see a Palestinian state soon - not instead of Israel but alongside it. We're committed to the disengagement of Gaza by November.

How optimistic are you that Israel will complete the disengagement plan without any hiccups? Do you fear a reaction from Israeli right-wingers?
Yes I do. It will be terrible and dangerous. It could reach a mini civil war but we're committed to the withdrawal of 8,000 settlers and Israelis from Gaza. Hopefully the Palestinians won't take advantage of that withdrawal to continue launching missiles and rockets against our towns and villages.

You even had dissent from certain factions of the military. Six officers were recently dismissed from the army because they said they'd refuse orders to withdraw.
That's because Israel is such a democratic society and you will get all extremes. There will be public disorder and it will be tough but you will never see anarchy. And all those that will refuse to evacuate Gaza will be punished. I'm not trying to undermine the seriousness of this opposition. But ultimately we're a country of law and order. We'll be tough with them.

Turning to your domestic political scene, Mr Sharon has lost several key members of his party and forged an alliance with the Labour Party. Isn't he clutching at straws?
A national unity government is taking place. Mr Sharon had difficulties: he lost the referendum, he lost in his central committee, he lost a lot of members of his own party. Yet he was committed to bring the issue to the government. Now we have two elder statesmen - Mr Sharon and Mr (Shimon) Peres - in the same boat. This is a time when the well-being of the country comes way ahead of the narrow interests of the party. They put their domestic interests aside and are pulling together a national unity government to fulfil the mission of the disengagement.

What is the world's perception of Israel?
I saw the front page of The Economist magazine three months ago which depicted Mr Sharon with an olive tree in his mouth. I didn't see anything of the sort for 30 years. Why is everyone using the cliché that we have a window of opportunity? It's because Mr Arafat's gone and because Mr Sharon is taking such brave initiatives.

Isn't it about time for the US to act as a catalyst in the Middle East because it seems it has been keeping quite a low profile?
I think the US will become more involved now that Mr Arafat's gone and I hope Europe follows suit... and that means all 25 countries.

Do you still consider Malta to be more sympathetic with the pro-Palestinian cause?
I had a discussion with your Foreign Minister (Michael Frendo) and I tried to look at the positive side. I told him when I analyse Malta's voting sheet of the anti-Israeli resolutions at the United Nations I see that in 2003 you voted five times against Israel, unlike the rest of the Europeans who chose to abstain; in 2004 you voted twice against - twice too many.

Isn't Malta entitled to have its own opinion?
Of course it is. But we're also entitled to tell Malta that if you want to be involved in the process then you have to be balanced. Change your pattern of votes against Israel. At least toe the European line. Malta should stop adopting its role as a rapporteur for the Palestinian issue. You don't need it any more. You're no longer part of the non-aligned group. Be a member of the EU; you can annoy us or live with us from time to time but stick to the EU. You're not members of the Arab League.

And what was Dr Frendo's reply?
He smiled.