Last week, the question was posed in this column as to whether it
was coincidence or reconciliation behind the fact that the People’s Republic of
China and the Republic of China were holding their national day receptions on
the same date in adjacent hotels in Tel Aviv.
It was definitely not
reconciliation, as this columnist discovered at the PRC reception after
informing a senior member the embassy that she would have to slip out from the
David Intercontinental Hotel to go next door to the Dan Panorama after the
speeches to report on the other event. He looked displeased and demanded that
the two reports should not appear on the same page. The columnist reminded him
that he was in Israel, not in China, and could therefore not issue such orders.
The eventual compromise was that PRC would appear on the page ahead of
ROC.
Aside from that, embassy staff was most cordial and cooperative and
it was a wonderful event that culminated with an extraordinary virtuoso concert
of traditional Chinese music by the Forbidden City Chamber Orchestra, which
proved how superbly it could also play Handel and, as an encore, performed a
Chinese interpretation of “Halicha L’caesarea,” (a walk to Caesarea), better
known as “Eli, Eli,” the lyrics for which were written by WWII heroine Hannah
Senesh.
Prior to the addresses by Ambassador Gao Yanping and President
Shimon Peres, who is a frequent guest of honor at major Chinese events, there
was a continuous video showing meetings between Chinese dignitaries and
well-known Israeli personalities in both China and Israel over the past 20
years.
This year is the 20th since the establishment of diplomatic
relations between China and Israel, and the video was illustrative of
cooperation and exchanges in politics, science, hi-tech, culture, education,
business, military and sport, as well as of the transformation of China since it
opened up and introduced reforms. The video also showed a sample of the huge
variety of activities in which ambassador Gao has been involved since arriving
in Israel just over a year ago. What she has done to enhance the relationship
between China and Israel has not gone unnoticed.
Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu called her earlier in the day to congratulate her on China’s 63rd
anniversary of independence and told her, “The relationship with China is in the
national interest of the State of Israel.”
Peres, who has met her many
times, as she accompanied Chinese dignitaries to meetings with him, hailed her
as “a great ambassador,” adding that “Israel loves you.” He told Gao that she is
doing a wonderful job in representing China and promoting and enhancing the
relationship between the two countries, especially in economics and culture. In
the culture context he mentioned brilliant Chinese pianist Yuja Wang, who was a
guest soloist this month with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Peres said that
he had heard via the IPO that she is “one of the greatest pianists of our
times.” Peres observed that 63 years ago, when China was poor, divided, under
occupation and hopeless, no-one would have dreamed that it would become one of
the most powerful and progressive countries in the world.
“The Chinese
people have enriched the land of China,” he declared, and have brought about “a
tremendous, profound change”. Peres suggested that the Middle East could become
great by following the Chinese example of looking inwards to find its own
potential. He lauded the transformation of China as “an unbelievable human
achievement.” Gao introduced Peres after concluding her own address, describing
him as “a very good and much-respected friend of the Chinese people, who has
made a great contribution to relations between China and Israel.”
Seated
on the stage next to Peres was Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav, who was there because of
the twin city agreement Haifa signed with Shenzhen earlier this year.
In
her own wide-ranging address, Gao spoke of the friendship that exists between
Israel and China and quoted Israel’s founding prime minister, David Ben-Gurion,
who predicted that it would not be long before China would become one of the
greatest nations in the world.
China has made enormous progress in
political, economic, social and other fields, and is now the world’s
secondlargest economy, said Gao. China’s foreign currency reserves now exceed US
$3 trillion. Of the world’s top 500 enterprises, she noted with pride, 79 are
Chinese.
In 1949, when China declared its independence, she revealed, the
average life span was 41 years. Now it’s almost 75. In that 63-year period,
China has also entered the space age, and China’s astronauts manually docked two
space ships in outer space for the first time this year.
Though she might
have some trouble convincing human rights activists that China is a firm
contributor to world peace and security, advocating the building of a harmonious
world of durable peace and common prosperity, Gao had no problem convincing
Peres, who waxed even more lyrical about China on this particular issue than did
Gao herself. Yet for all China’s great achievements, Gao acknowledged, it
remains a developing country with a per-capita GDP of around US $5,400, which is
roughly one-sixth of Israel’s, ranking China 100th in the world.
■ MANY
ISRAELI tourists are discovering China, as are Israeli businesspeople and
entertainers. Singer David D’Or was a big hit in China and, while touring, fell
in love with the country and the people.
Now it’s Miri Mesika’s turn.
Mesika has been invited to China in February to participate in the Chinese New
Year celebrations and to sing in Hebrew on one of the most popular television
programs. She’s told friends that she can hardly wait.
■ THE ROC is much
more favorably disposed towards PRC than the other way around. When this
columnist informed the No. 2 official at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office
in Tel Aviv that she would have to first attend the PRC reception, he told her
that she would be welcome whenever she arrives. In many respects, the address by
Liang Jen Chang, the ROC representative who heads TECO, was similar to Gao’s,
the difference being that mainland China is much bigger and has diplomatic
relations with more than 180 countries whereas Taiwan, as the ROC is frequently
called, has diplomatic relations with only 23 countries, and Israel isn’t one of
them. This is why Knesset members are seen at ROC functions but officials from
the prime minister’s and foreign minister’s offices are usually not.
Two
people from the Prime Minister’s Office who were seen entering the ROC reception
were asked whether they were permitted to be there. They sheepishly replied in
the negative, but explained that they had an appointment with one of the
guests.
The fact that there were more than 300 guests says a lot for the
headway that Chang has made in Israel among MKs, diplomats, businesspeople and
people in various cultural spheres as well as with recent university graduates
who studied in Taiwan. Chang listed some of the challenges that Taiwan is
facing, citing a new blueprint mapped out by President Ying- Jeou Ma, who was
re-elected to office this past January. Lessening tensions across the Taiwan
Straits comes fifth after the top priority, which is promoting sustainable
economic growth and pursuing an efficiency-oriented economy to an innovation-
driven one. Next comes improving the establishment of a just society through
safeguarding human rights and equal gender status, plus narrowing the gap
between the rich and the economically disadvantaged. Although GDP is important
said Chang, GNH – “Gross National Happiness” – is more important. Third in the
list of priorities is the upholding of a clean and efficient government as the
core value of the administration; and fourth is protection of the
environment.
“We have only one earth, and we are living in a global
society,” said Chang, who pledged that his country will live up to the standards
set by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). At
the commencement of his address, Chang said that over the past century, the
Republic of China has been transformed from a backward country into an
economically vibrant and politically free country. While still striving to
broaden the scope of its diplomatic ties, it will continue to practice viable
diplomacy to establish more substantial relations with countries with which it
does not have diplomatic relations. For example, starting from November 1,
Taiwanese citizens visiting the United States will no longer require a visa,
even though Taiwan does not enjoy diplomatic relations with the
US.
Israel is another case-in-point. A visa waiver agreement between
Israel and Taiwan was signed more than a year ago. Taiwan greatly cherishes its
relations with Israel, said Chang, and respects and admires both Israel and the
Jewish people.
He was also pleased to report that in 2011, trade between
Taiwan and Israel reached NIS 5.3 billion.
Kadima MK Nachman Shai, who
served as chairman of the Israel Taiwan Friendship League in the Knesset, said
he was proud of the progress that had been made in intensifying the relationship
since Chang’s assumption of office.
“There is a growing appreciation and
understanding of the importance of the Republic of China,” he said. Many
Israelis, including MKs, travel there and come back as unofficial ambassadors
for ROC.
Not knowing at this stage what his political future will be,
Shai could not say whether he or someone else will head the Friendship League in
the next Knesset.
“But whatever happens in the elections, whoever serves
in my position will do their utmost to bring our two countries together,” he
said. The evening concluded with a jazz recital.
■ EVERY YEAR, via the
Government Press Office, the prime minister of Israel hosts a reception for
foreign journalists, press attaches of various embassies and people whose
organizations are in frequent contact with foreign media. These receptions are
general held sometime in January.
But this year, Netanyahu is jumping the
gun and is having the New Year toast on December 4. To anyone who may think that
this infers a fear that he may not be re-elected – it doesn’t. On the contrary,
it gives him a wonderful opportunity prior to the cut-off date for election
publicity to make a campaign speech which he is reasonably sure will go out to
media around the world. To what extent this will affect the vote is anyone’s
guess, as the only Israelis permitted to vote abroad are those who are there in
service to the state.
■IT’S CUSTOMARY at state dinners for an entertainer
to sing one song in Hebrew and another in the language of the guest of honor.
Whenever possible the singer chosen, has a link of some kind with the country of
the visiting dignitary. Thus, when President Shimon Peres hosted a state dinner
in honor of Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev, the singer chosen was Mira
Awad, whose mother is Bulgarian.
Sitting at a table close to the stage
was Bulgarian-born stage and screen actor Alex Ansky, who appeared with Awad in
My Fair Lady and who delighted in her performance, calling for an encore as she
left the stage. But he was not the only one who wanted her to sing another song.
At the request of the president of Bulgaria, she sang one more Bulgarian song
without musical accompaniment and the Bulgarians in the room, including those
living in Israel, were ecstatic in their applause.
“She’s a wonderful
multi-talent,” exclaimed Ansky as he and his wife, Hamutal, rose to embrace Awad
after the encore. Bulgarian music has always been part of Awad’s life. Her
Christian Arab father left his village on the Lebanese border to study medicine
in Bulgaria, which is where he met her mother.
■ ALSO AT the dinner were
producer/director Nissim Levy, who is involved in a cinematic co-production with
Bulgaria, and David Varod, an Israeli who has been living in Bulgaria for 14
years and is the CEO and chairman of Nu Boyana Film Studios, where many
Hollywood films are now being shot. According to Levy, Nu Boyana has just about
everything on hand that a film maker would want, and this is one of the reasons
for its popularity because it saves so much hassle and enables reduced
production expenses.
There’s another Israeli connection as well. Nu
Boyana is owned by Haifa-born, Los Angeles-based Avi Lerner, the founder of Nu
Image and Millenium Films production companies. Lerner produced Rambo, starring
Sylvester Stallone; Righteous Kill, starring Robert de Niro and Al Pacino and
The Expendables, directed by Stallone.
It was announced earlier this week
that The Expendables 2 had grossed more than $300 million worldwide. Most of
Lerner’s films are made in Bulgaria, because in his view it is the least
expensive location.
According to Varod, 170 feature films have been
produced at Nu Boyana over the past 14 years. In March, Bulgaria and Israel
signed an intergovernmental treaty on joint film projects under which producers
will be able to receive some state funding for co-productions. If all goes well,
Levy and Varod believe that the shooting of Levy’s feature film, which has been
given an interim title of Concert for Survivors, will begin in March. The cast
will be mainly Bulgarian, but there will be a few Israeli actors as well and,
with the exception of one scene that will be shot in Israel, most of the film
will be shot at Nu Boyana studios and in various locations in Bulgaria. The main
focus of the film is the friendship between a Jew and a non-Jew in wartime
Bulgaria during the Holocaust era and what happened afterwards. Varod specially
came to Israel at Plevneliev’s invitation. The president is highly appreciative
of what Nu Boyana has done to promote Bulgaria as one of the film capitals of
Europe, Varod said.
■ IN HIS address at the dinner, Peres spoke of how
Bulgarian immigrants had turned Jaffa into a mini Bulgaria with Bulgarian music,
Bulgarian restaurants and the Maccabi Jaffa football team, which for many years
had a number of Bulgarian players and was avidly supported by the Bulgarian
community. Peres noted that Bulgarian immigrants had contributed to every walk
of life in Israel. “Some were even Members of Knesset,” he said.
Both
Peres and Plevneliev referred to Bulgaria’s saving its Jews during the
Holocaust, and Plevneliev said that he hoped to see among participants at the
70th anniversary commemoration of the rescue next March both those who had been
rescued and those who had been among the rescuers.
■ NIGERIAN RECEPTIONS
and those hosted by other African countries are always wonderfully colorful
affairs, as representatives of African states in Israel temporarily abandon
their regular Western attire and don their traditional national costumes, which
are a resplendent feast for the eyes.
The exquisite fabrics, the gorgeous
embroideries and the marvelous colors as well as the amazing headdresses
unfailingly contribute to the festive atmosphere.
This year, the
Nigerians combined their 52nd Independence Day celebrations with those marking
the 20th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between Nigeria
and Israel. As always, a huge number of guests mingled on the sprawling lawns of
the ambassador’s residence in Kfar Shmaryahu, and this year in addition to the
musical folklore items that were part of the entertainment, there was also an
exciting fashion show of traditional costumes from different parts of
Nigeria.
Ambassador David Oladipo Obasa spoke of his country’s
transformation, its moral and social regeneration and its commitment to
eliminate terrorism and violence. Among all the positive things he had to say
about bilateral relations with Israel, there was one jarring note that was
indicative of both his courage and his pain, in view of the fact that “Israel
has always stood by Nigeria.”
While ambassadors do not usually voice
public criticism of situations in their host countries, Obasa, as a proud
African, could not do otherwise but to condemn the bigotry to which some of his
fellow countrymen as well as other Africans have been subjected in Israel. It
was most unfortunate he said, that in certain Israeli quarters there are people
who are conducting a hate campaign against people of African
extraction.
Master of ceremonies Olukayode O.Fayomi, a political
affairs minister at the embassy, proved that he had done his homework when
introducing Minister for the Improvement of Government Services Michael Eitan,
who is famous for having delivered the longest ever filibuster speech in the
Knesset – and possibly in any parliament – when on December 29, 1992 he spoke
for 10 straight hours in order to delay a vote on the budget. Fayomi promised
that Eitan would not speak as long on this occasion,.
Eitan, who was
representing the government, confined himself to the address prepared for him by
the Foreign Ministry and did not respond to remarks about the hate campaign. He
congratulated Nigeria on strengthening its democracy, advancing the economy, and
development goals that have propelled it into a leading country on the African
continent. He also referred to common interests and challenges, stating that “In
recent years, Nigeria has had to confront the threat of extremist Islamic
terrorism which strikes at the fabric of life in that country, has cost the
lives of hundreds of Nigerians and threatens the stability of the region as a
whole.”
■ ISRAEL IS so preoccupied with its own problems that there is a
tendency for the public to forget or ignore what confronts other countries. At
the 52nd Independence Day reception that he hosted at his residence in Herzliya
Pituah, Cyprus Ambassador Dimitris Hatziargyrou remained angry over the 1974
Turkish invasion and conquest of the northern part of his island state and said
that Cyprus is still trying to heal the wounds of the invasion and the
subsequent military occupation of one-third of the island. Cyprus shared a
common experience with Israel in that it had been under British rule and, after
a four-year liberation struggle against colonial power, took control of its own
destiny in 1960. One of the great triumphs of the Republic of Cyprus was that it
attained membership in the European Union while Turkey is still waiting in the
wings.
Cyprus currently presides over the Council of the European
Union.
Cyprus has a long history with Israel, since before the creation
of the state, when British Mandate forces intercepted so-called illegal Jewish
immigrants – most of them Holocaust survivors – and placed them in detention
camps in Cyprus. Some 53,000 Jews spent the period between 1946 and 1949 in
Cyprus, during which time approximately 2,000 Jewish babies were born on the
island. Cypriots not only helped the Jews who had been forced to reside there,
but also cooperated with the Hagana in efforts to thwart the
British.
National Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau, who was
representing the government, recalled how as a young man he had eagerly followed
the Cypriot struggle and the activities of Archbishop Makarios III, who led the
island’s Greek community and became president following British withdrawal.
Israelis were happy and excited that Cyprus had joined the family of the world’s
democratic nations, said Landau. Although relations between Israel and Cyprus
had been somewhat strained in the interim, they are now extremely cordial with
mutual understanding, open dialogue and frequent high-level visits between the
two countries, said Landau, who saw Cyprus as “a bridge between the Middle East
and Europe.”
■ THERE ARE many ways to promote a country, and art is one
of them.
Israeli and Ecuadorian artists have been working together in art
workshops, which prompted the embassy of Ecuador to organize an art exhibition
under the title “Ecuador-Israel Colors and Friendship.” The exhibition held at
the Cervantes Institute in Tel Aviv was part of Ecuadorian Culture Month, in
which there were cultural events in Haifa, Netanya and Tel Aviv. At the opening
of the exhibition, Ecuadorian Ambassador Guillermo Bassante said that each of
the artists wanted to greet Ecuador through their personal artistic
creations.
The exhibition was of value not only for its aesthetic content
but for the spirit of friendship reflected between the Israeli and Ecuadorian
artists, he said. One of the artists is his wife, Lourdes Gavilanes.
The
others include Rivka Margolin, Ada Yekutiel, and Sali Ariel from Israel and
Ligia Matani and Monica Sarmiento from Ecuador. Ariel is already busy preparing
for two more exhibitions during Hanukka.