While Moshe Ram may have preferred to talk about the Jewish community in China, the consul general of Israel, Chicago, spoke on Arab-Jewish tensions in the Middle East Monday night.
A small crowd gathered in the basement of Temple Beth El in Fargo to schmooze and hear Ram speak.
For the last two years, Israel has experienced an unprecedented campaign of terror, he said.
About 650 Israelis have been killed in the past two years, and about 1,600 Palestinians have received casualties, he said.
Israelis have upped security and intelligence, he said. Still, if one suicide bomber infiltrates the country, people will die.
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That's why the Israeli government wants to build a fence between Palestinian territories and Israel, he said.
The fence isn't just a fence, but a surveillance system as well as a physical barrier.
Ram said he didn't think the fence was a solution in the long run, but he said, "Right now, we cannot live together."
When asked about Israel's position on a potential war in Iraq, he said, "I think everyone in Israel would like to see Saddam go, but we're on the sidelines."
He refuted the rumor that Israel was encouraging Bush to go to war with Hussein and said, "We are not players in this game."
In the larger picture, Iran is more of a threat to Israel than Iraq, due to its support of Hezbollah, he said.
The majority of Israeli Arabs have remained loyal to the country, he said, recognizing that recent violence has placed an extra strain on them.
While Ram was pessimistic about the violence ending in the near future, he said, "In the long run I have to be optimistic."
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"The only way we could negotiate would be around a negotiating table," he said.
With Ram was Stephen Silberfarb, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and North Dakota. Also Monday, Ram and Silberfarb met with Sen. Kent Conrad and Congressman Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Lisa Schneider at (701) 241-5529
