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Israel official visited Youngstown
YOUNGSTOWN
A deputy consul general for Israel said his country wants to negotiate with Palestinian leaders to give them their own state, but the involvement of Hamas — classified as a terrorist group by nations including the United States — will not result in peace.
“The Israeli people want peace, and we’ve tried to have peace for quite a while,” said Elad Strohmayer, deputy counsel general at the Israeli consulate for a region that includes Ohio.
Strohmayer, who visited Youngstown for the first time Monday, said most Israelis want “two states living peacefully,” but Palestinians have a pact with Hamas.
The United States, Israel, the European Union, Canada and others classify Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, as a terrorist organization.
Peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians broke down earlier this month.
“Israelis are cynical and skeptical, and people in Israel were skeptical [peace talks] were going to [succeed] before they started,” Strohmayer said Monday in an interview on Vindy Radio’s Louie Free Show.
Palestinians say Israel doesn’t recognize the authority of Palestinian Authority, a 20-year-old self-rule body in the West Bank, and that human rights in Gaza are being violated, among other issues, according to The New York Times.
“Right now, it’s a blame game, and a lot of people are blaming Israelis for this, but Palestinians are doing their share,” Strohmayer said. “Stop with the blame and go back to the table.”
He later said, “We’re not going to negotiate when the PLO [Palestine Liberation Organization] has a pact with Hamas, and Hamas is an organization that calls for the destruction of Israel.”
The PLO recognized Israel’s right to exist in 1993, which Strohmayer called “an historical moment.”
But because of its connection to Hamas, he doubts the PLO is serious about negotiating peace in the Middle East.
In addition to his appearance on Vindy Talk Radio, Strohmayer visited the Youngstown Business Incubator, the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber and met with Youngstown Mayor John A. McNally on Monday.
Strohmayer has served as deputy consul general for the past two years. He is based in Philadelphia and he serves as the official liaison between his country and Ohio, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Kentucky, West Virginia and the southern portion of New Jersey.