Ettinger visit ‘informative, proactive’
THE dangers of determining Middle East policy on the basis of demographic analyses was one of the key issues highlighted by a former Israeli diplomat during a trip to Australia last week. Packed into three days in Victoria, Ambassador (ret) Yoram Ettinger's 10 formal speaking engagements covered a diverse spectrum of topics.
THE dangers of determining Middle East policy on the basis of demographic analyses was one of the key issues highlighted by a former Israeli diplomat during a trip to Australia last week.
Packed into three days in Victoria, Ambassador (ret) Yoram Ettinger’s 10 formal speaking engagements covered a diverse spectrum of topics.
Of particular interest was his extensive research into Palestinian population surveys, as revealed in his talk, “The Palestinian Demographic Threat — Myth vs Reality”. During the lecture, Ettinger showed how Palestinian population counts have been exaggerated in order to support the premise of an imminent “demographic threat” to the Jewish State.
“The implication is Israeli policy should not be driven by demographic fatalism or demographic pessimism. Israeli policy should be driven by reality, which is demographic optimism. Israeli policy should not be driven by hastiness influenced by demographic fatalism. We don’t have to rush, we have the time,” he said.
“Demography should not be regarded like gangrene that you have to cut the leg and the hand — in this case Judea and Samaria, lest the entire body is extinguished.”
Ettinger also delivered a presentation to state and local elected officials on the subject of Israel’s robust economy and especially its high-tech sector. In that meeting, the former envoy revealed an abundance of clear statistical data showing the benefits of collaborative multinational relationships between foreign corporations and Israel.¬† Australian investors and companies could realise those same benefits, Ettinger argued.
Last Wednesday, Ettinger was the keynote speaker at the Yom Yerushalayim Oration, speaking on “Jerusalem, Washington and the Obama Factor”.
As part of his visit to Melbourne, he also appeared on ABC’s News breakfast program.
Ahead of his arrival in Victoria, Ettinger held similar meetings and talks in New South Wales.
Dr Danny Lamm, president of the Zionist Council of Victoria (ZCV), a co-sponsor of the visit along with the New South Wales State Zionist Council (SZC), hailed Ettinger’s visit as “a remarkable success”.
Lamm said: “He engaged with many hundreds of people over 10 events in Melbourne alone.
“As we promised, he brought to the events his extensive knowledge of contemporary issues and intelligent analysis of Israeli politics, security, economics and demography. Audiences have responded very positively, his presentations have educated, informed and most importantly, promoted discussion within the community.”
AHRON SHAPIRO
PHOTO: Yoram Ettinger. Photo: Peter Haskin.
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