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Friday June 8, 2007

Meridor weighs good, bad and Hamas

by joe eskenazi
staff writer

Life is decidedly a mixed bag these days in Israel, and Salai Meridor knows this all too well. On last weekend’s trip to the Bay Area, the Washington, D.C.-based Israeli ambassador to the United States met with Silicon Valley innovators who create technology that could benefit the entire world.

It’s such a shame Israel’s neighbors are so intent on blowing it up.

“We are trying to see if we can find an answer to that, a restrained and measured answer. And this is not easy, given the nature of our enemies,” said Meridor, the brother of longtime Likud politician Dan Meridor, of the spate of rocket attacks menacing Israel.

“We face two situations, both on the southern border of Gaza with towns being attacked by rockets — it’s close to 300 now over the past three weeks — and, at the same time, the continuing re-arming of Hezbollah in the north. It’s 10 to 20 rockets every day and you never know where they’re going to fall.

“It’s difficult to imagine San Francisco being attacked by one, God forbid.”

Rather than excoriate Israel for defending its citizens, Meridor hopes the powers that be could lean a little on Egypt to tighten its border with Gaza. And as far as Israeli negotiations with Hamas, the traffic lights will turn blue before that happens.

“We could negotiate with them only our destruction or our suicide. I hope nobody has delusions Israel will do so.”

On his whirlwind tour of the Bay Area, Meridor focused on Silicon Valley, meeting with several Israeli and Jewish business leaders including venture capitalist and former Palm and 3Com executive Eric Benhamou, who touted Israel’s strong contributions to clean energy and water treatment technology.

The ambassador also met with a number of Silicon Valley-based Israelis, including several in the employ of Intel, who proudly informed him that 50 percent of Intel’s sales are “significantly based on research and development done in Israel.”

Meridor retained a barrel of information: He also gleefully noted that between a quarter and a third of the world’s digital cameras feature chips designed in the Jewish state.

“We are trying to look for different ways of enhancing this cooperation which not only benefits America and Israel but the world,” he said.

“We can do it at the local level, state level, through the Department of Energy or Congressional committees. Israel can contribute to a better world.”

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