Guns and roses

Israeli Ambassador to Malta Gideon Meir says his country is celebrating 60 years of success. On the other side of the heavily-fortified fence, the Palestinians are marking the al-Nakba, or catastrophe. Peace will only be attained when the Palestinians' desire to kill is eradicated.

For seven months during a wave of Palestinian violence in 2003, Israeli officials boycotted BBC news programmes, declining interviews and excluding its reporters from briefings. Amid accusations of anti-Jewish reporting, Israel felt the BBC went one step too far after it made 'false' allegations in a report on weapons of mass destruction.

Gideon Meir - at the time Israeli foreign affairs ministry deputy director general for media and public affairs - was instrumental in handing out that decision. Back then, he was quoted as saying: "We are not cooperating with the BBC, we don't give them any talking heads, we don't brief them and we don't invite them to press conferences."

His animosity with one of the world's main news organisations could have fooled anybody as he greeted me with a welcoming smile, a warm handshake, and a reassuring comment: "I have no problems with tough questions. You can ask me whatever you want."

But it is still evident he has quite a few sticking points with the way the international media reports the Middle East conflict, even if in reality, in the last week, the sound of celebratory gunfire has replaced the sound of bombs as Israel marks the 60th anniversary since its creation.

"After six years of dealing with media I see how the Europeans are receiving a distorted story from the Middle East. You have major news organisations distorting pictures and stories," he says.

"I had proof in my hands. I could show you 'Photoshopped' pictures of what was coming out of Lebanon (during the conflict) to put Israel in a bad light. I remember a picture taken during the intifada featuring an Israeli soldier... they had completely manipulated the story. Do you think newspapers apologised? Of course they didn't!"

On the other hand, he dismisses claims that American news agencies like CNN are indirectly helping the Israeli cause.

"I had many fights with CNN. I can show you stories from CNN during the Jenin operation, reporting that a massacre was taking place. I recall the reporter featuring a Palestinian with leukaemia who looked like a Jew coming out of Auschwitz and she portrayed Israel as some sort of Nazi state."

Mr Meir asks whether it is logical for journalists to concentrate so little on the strife in Africa while focusing so much on Israel.

"Believe me, we cannot compete with the Hezbollah and Palestinian propaganda because we don't lie and we don't have the means to compete with the 'oil' propaganda machinery. The journalists don't have the courage to tell the world that they're being exposed to Arab terrorism. Remember the lynching in Ramallah? The Palestinians confiscated footage from journalists - did the media report this? Believe me, on a daily basis we have a problem with the media. But to be fair not all journalists are like this - there are some honest ones who are doing a decent job."

He insists he is in favour of the freedom of the press - indeed he hails the Israeli press' open criticism of the government and the fact that his country allows the foreign media to report "whatever it wants", as a feather in Israel's cap.

One news item spawned from Reuters last weekend quoted a spokesman for the Israeli Rights Group saying that many Israelis nowadays refuse to accept that Israel must be a military fortress where might makes right.

Mr Meir denies that the Israeli government is losing support from within. In reality, he says, Israelis simply want to live like normal people, away from bombs and terror.

"The fact is that, because of all the wars imposed on us by some of our neighbours, we still have to defend ourselves. The Israelis know deep down they have to volunteer to defend their homes and families."

His face lights up with pride as he talks about the state of Israel which was proclaimed on May 14, 1948. It triggered a war against Arab states, which bitterly opposed the proclamation. The armistice signed months later proved to be a mere hiatus in hostilities that have continued through 60 years.

So is Israel marking 60 years of success or is it the land of a constantly unfolding tragedy?

"Israel is the success story of the 20th century. It's a miracle of the western world. Israel was established by immigrants from 96 countries speaking 66 different languages. Most of our people came from non-democratic countries and from day one we were attacked by the Arabs who didn't want us to be there. The fact that we managed to establish a democracy and kept it running as a vibrant democracy is a miracle."

The Israeli parliament is the only one in the world where Arabs can be elected as members of the Knesset. The country of just 7.2 million people boasts authors like David Grossman who are openly critical of the Israeli government's policies.

"They are part of society, they're part of the ongoing debate. I always say that the happiest day of my life will be when a Palestinian author like David Grossman forms part of the debate, someone who can prompt questions over the legitimacy of suicide bombers," he says, holding his index finger aloft.

The Israeli economy is indeed one big success story. The GDP growth in 2007 was measured at 5.4 per cent last year, unemployment is low at 7.3 per cent and the economy is undergoing massive reforms.

"This small country contributed eight Nobel Prize winners in the fields of peace, chemistry, economics and literature. Despite the threats, we've managed to build one of the most successful countries in the western world."

The ambassador is evidently pleased with the beefing up of Israel's security measures, which have led to a dramatic reduction in the number of suicide bombings in recent years. Last year, no such attacks were reported; and so far this year, Palestinians have managed to penetrate Israel's iron wall just once.

"The security fence we built saves lives - it's a barrier which makes it quite impossible for suicide bombers to cross the lines into Israel. Don't think for a moment that Hamas and the Islamic Jihad stopped their desire to kill Israelis. They try every day. You wouldn't know because the media doesn't report the number of attacks we've prevented."

Well aware that the wall has drawn international condemnation, the ambassador is quick to point accusing fingers at Israel's critics.

"Double standards worry me because these people don't condemn the suicide bombers and they condemn us for defending ourselves. I feel angry and disappointed."

Mr Meir envisages a situation when the wall - constructed late in 2003 following a series of suicide bombings - is eventually torn down. Fences are removable, but you cannot bring the victims back, he says.

He heaps praise on the Israeli defence forces and the Israeli Intelligence Service for also being instrumental to stem the suicide bombings.

As the attacks are down, and with reports saying that Israel may be inching closer to accepting an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza, the UN is hoping for a framework peace deal this year. The rest of the world remains sceptical. Beyond the usual rhetoric, can Mr Meir ever see Israelis and the Arab community living peacefully side by side?

"We've established a successful state because it depended on the Jewish people alone. To make peace, you need two to tango, and our enemies need to be part of it. The Palestinian policy has for years been 'all or nothing' - and with that mentality you stay with nothing."

He acknowledges Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad as fundamental partners to pluck the region out of the crisis, offering balance against the Hamas extremists who rule Gaza on a ticket of terror and suffering.

"I understand the scepticism but we need a lot of patience and sacrifices. We are willing to walk the extra mile to make the painful decisions and seek solutions."

Can Mr Meir see the Israeli government ever holding discussions with Hamas in a bid to end the war?

"The answer is 'yes' if Hamas accepts the conditions imposed by the international community. They have to recognise the right of Israel to exist, acknowledge the previous agreements signed between Israel and the Palestinian leadership, and renounce violence."

Israel's refusal to negotiate with Hamas on the basis that it does not recognise the state of Israel has been dismissed by some critics as short-sighted. There are several instances in recent history where neighbouring states (like East and West Germany) have coexisted or cooperated even if they do not recognise the existence of one another.

But Mr Meir says the situation in the Middle East is different.

"Here we're talking about a partner who doesn't even want to accept our existence. With Hamas today we can only negotiate one thing - the size of the coffin, and the number of roses to be delivered to our funerals."

While many are now tired of hearing the usual clichés of two states living peacefully next to one another, Mr Meir insists that this pledge should not be taken lightly.

"Remember, it was the most right-wing leader in Israel's history, Ariel Sharon, who made the biggest concession of recognising the right of the Palestinians to have their own state. This happened about four years ago. I haven't seen the other side making the same kind of concession.

"Us Israelis always have to be optimistic or else we wouldn't have been able to survive. We have to protect ourselves from terrorism. We pray daily to live in peace with our Palestinian neighbours and I'm sure this is the same desire of the Palestinians."

But while Israel is peeping above the fence to monitor neighbouring Hamas, it remains equally uncomfortable with Iran's antics miles away. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continues to talk about wiping Israel off the map, amid fears over his alleged weapons programme. Does the ambassador see Israel acting unilaterally against Iran one day?

"Ahmadinejad is a major threat to the international community. He is threatening Europe no less than he is threatening Israel. If you look at the range of his missiles - beyond 3,000 km - it's clear the target is not just Israel. We are the biggest supporters of a soft power policy, which is called diplomacy. We are trying to exhaust every possibility to find a diplomatic solution to stop the fact that Iran is trying to produce nuclear weapons."

Mr Meir says Israeli diplomats are working day and night to try to convince Europeans about the importance of imposing sanctions on Iran, which he describes as a legitimate diplomatic weapon.

When it is pointed out that sanctions normally have an impact on innocent citizens, his reply is curt: "The suffering is being created by their leaders and not by us."

He is equally dismissive of the US National Intelligence Estimate report, which said last year that Iran's military nuclear programme had, in fact, been halted in 2003.

For Mr Meir, the report was a political approach to prevent 'certain action' by the US administration.

"If you read the report very carefully, it didn't say that the Iranians stopped making efforts to build nuclear weapons. It says that in 2003 they stopped a certain programme, but it didn't say anything about the continuation of the programme. Even the US is very active today to impose sanctions after this report."

He insists that Ahmadinejad is on his way to create nuclear weapons, which will be forthcoming within two to three years.

"This man is after what you guys in Malta, and the rest of Europe, represent - our culture! Look at the way he approaches human rights in his own country. Is it acceptable to Europeans to see the way the rights of women in Iran, gays, and other minorities are being trampled upon?"

I repeat the question - does he rule out that Israel will act unilaterally against Iran?

"I'm trying to answer in other ways. It's not just an Israeli problem," he replies. Are we to see yet another example of countries undermining the UN, as happened with Iraq?

"If Europeans wouldn't have joined the diplomatic efforts, you would have pushed the Americans and Israelis into a corner to protect themselves by other means. We are not looking for the other means. We are looking for diplomacy."

Diplomacy, or the lack of it, was a term coined by many when Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid, unleashing the 34-day war in Lebanon in 2006.

With the benefit of hindsight, does the ambassador think it was right for Israel to act the way it did during the Lebanon war, which killed nearly 1,400 people, mainly civilians.

"We had no choice. We were being threatened by long-range missiles. We were threatened by Hezbollah and so on - the day they decided to kidnap our soldiers and bombard our northern settlements - we had no choice. We had to go after this guerrilla group."

The reaction by the rest of the world will almost always be anti-Israel because countries continue being afraid of economic repercussions, Mr Meir maintains.

"There are double standards. I don't see this kind of reaction to Darfur. We are the masters of human rights, not just of our own people. Look at the UN Human Rights Commission - is Israel the only state in the world which (disrespects) human rights? It's totally illogical to look at Israel this way."

One person who has chiselled Israel the way we know it today is former Prime Minister and military leader Sharon, who suffered a brain haemorrhage in January 2006 and has not regained consciousness since. Many believe the former controversial figure is now dead, a claim denied by the ambassador.

"The man is alive. His children visit him and they say that sometimes he moves his head, sometimes his hand... A normal person would have died! He was an important person for this country, he was a peace hero."

What would Sharon think if he had to wake up today to mark Israel's 60th birthday?

Mr Meir replies: "He would reflect on his courageous decision to evacuate 8,500 settlers from Gaza. But he would be sad to see the constant mistakes of Hamas."