Gillermania!
';Dan Gillerman, outgoing Israeli ambassador to the UN, is always good for a sound-bite. Here are a couple of highlights from an interview in yesterday’s NYT:
You recently called Jimmy Carter a “bigot” after he met with Khaled Meshal, the head of Hamas. Is it true you were reprimanded by the U.S. State Department? There was no complaint or reprimand. The only reaction I received was very positive.
The Bush administration, it seems, has not done much to advance the Mideast peace process. Would you agree? I think the key is in the Arab world. The Palestinians’ real tragedy is that they have not been able to produce a Nelson Mandela. Every single day, Muslims are killed by Muslims. You do not see a single Muslim leader get up and say, “Enough is enough.” It’s nearly as if we live in a world where if Christians kill Muslims, it’s a crusade. If Jews kill Muslims, it’s a massacre. And when Muslims kill Muslims, it’s the Weather Channel. Nobody cares.
You are about to be replaced at the U.N. by Gabriela Shalev, a law professor at Ono Academic College with no experience as a diplomat. Can any regular person be a diplomat? I’m sure Gaby will do great. Diplomacy is not something you can learn at school or in the foreign service. A diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to hell and actually make you look forward to the journey.
I’ll miss this guy.
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Elder of Ziyon may or may not be a real person. He (or she, or it) blogs at http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/
July 22nd, 2008 at 5:28 am
Everyone will. Dan Gillerman is a man among men.
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:22 pm
[...] Beitrag von Elder of Zion bei Aussie Dave sammelt ein paar von Gillermans Antworten bei einem Interview in [...]
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:34 am
OK, that last quote (”…who can tell you to go to hell and actually make you look forward to the journey”) is really a cliché. I’ve heard that same formulation used before over the last several years.
The second one, however, is really witty. It’s a shame that he has to be outgoing. He’s probably been the most personable ambassador since Abba Eban. Israelis present such a poor public image, that when you get one with genuine intelligence and wit, it’s a real treat. Why does he have to go?
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:11 am
“Considering the long and illustrious history of the Persians, isn’t it unlikely that the Iranians would ever do anything reckless with nuclear weapons?”
is there anything more stupid than a NYT journalist?