Page 9 - TORCH Magazine #15 - February 2020

anti-Semites is the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. Can you tell us more above this movement?
ranged ballistic missiles. Let me be frank. They’ve already got missiles that can hit Israel. They’ve already got missiles that can hit our Arab neighbours. Why are they building missiles with ranges to reach far and beyond, to reach Europe, maybe even America one
Regev: The first thing you need to know, Erick, is that these voices of hate are a failure in the real world. They call for not buying Israeli products. I want to
tell you, our number
one trading partner
on the planet is the
United States. Last
year our third largest
trading partner on
the planet were the
Brits. And this year,
we’re hoping to see
that Britain moves
from third into
second. So these
people calling for
a boycott of Israeli
products, they’re
speaking hatred,
and a lot of people
apparently are not
listening. But we’ve
got to fight them as
you’ve got to hate all hatred. I think that this movement is a modern manifestation of good old-fashioned anti-Semitism. That’s what it is.
Stakelbeck: It seems today the cloak of anti-Semitism is now anti-Zionism.
Regev: I agree one hundred percent. They say, “We don’t hate Jews, we just think all
the Israelis should be killed.” What does that mean?
Stakelbeck: Speaking of which, whilst we’re surveying the threats, tell us about the Iranian regime and how they are not just a threat to Israel.
Regev: It is not just a problem for
Israel and our Arab neighbours who are all threatened by the Iranians. It’s a problem
for the planet. This is a regime that wants to export, what they call, the Islamic revolution. And it’s a threat to us all. I’ll give you just two very quick examples.
We documented incidents over the last year of the Iranian government officials being involved in terrorism on European soil. So, this isn’t something that might happen or could happen, this is something that is happening.
Secondly, the Iranians are building long-
day? Because they see the Western world as their enemy. And to ignore that is to ignore reality. To ignore that is to be like the proverbial ostrich and putting your head in the sand. You’re not going to be safer by ignoring the threats.
Stakelbeck:
Ambassador, last question. You’ve been doing this for some time. What drives you? It’s a demanding job, you’re a family man, what motivates you
to dedicate your life to the service of the state of Israel?
Regev: I am a very, very proud Israeli. And for me to have the positions I’ve had.
I feel honoured that the state of Israel has allowed me to serve in the positions I’ve held. I ultimately believe in my soul in the essential justice of Israel’s case, in the cause of Israel.
If you think about it, we were a Jewish people scattered across the planet. We were persecuted, we were discriminated against,
we faced violence and oppression and even genocide. When we returned home, when we established our independence, our nationhood in our historic homeland. That is a modern miracle. That’s something that I think we
can all get excited about. And in a region that is plagued by different forms of autocracy, despotism, totalitarianism, across the Middle East, Israel today stands out as a beacon of freedom, tolerance, a beacon of democracy, and I think those are reasons why everyone... who believes in freedom should stand with Israel. Because we really are, I believe, an island of freedom and tolerance in a very, very difficult region.
"We faced violence and oppression and even genocide. When we returned home, when we established our independence, our nationhood in our historic homeland. That is a modern miracle."
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