Ismail Khaldi says his career as a diplomat reminds him of life as a traveling soldier, deployed in one place after another. Now, after two years as deputy consul at the Consulate General of Israel in San Francisco, Khaldi has received new marching orders.
The sole Bedouin in the Israeli diplomatic corps heads home to Israel next week, where he will assume a new post as a Middle East adviser on regional issues for Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman.
That could mean some one-man shuttle diplomacy in his future, working with Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinians and perhaps even countries like Syria and Saudi Arabia. Though his precise job description has not yet been fully fleshed out, Khaldi says, “It’s a good move. I will get to do the things I am good at.”
As a Muslim, an Arab and an Israeli, Khaldi is “good at” a number of things: He is fluent in Hebrew, Arabic and English; he has an abiding knowledge of Arab culture; and he can speak up for Israel in ways no Jewish Israeli can.
“I represent a country that is multi-lingual, multicultural, multi-religious,” Khaldi, 37, said during a farewell interview with j.
Representing Israel hasn’t always been easy for him during his Bay Area tenure. He recalls instances when some people, often anti-Zionist activists at college campuses, would refuse to shake his hand simply because he was Israeli.
Yet he also counts numerous instances of acceptance, warmth and hospitality. In particular, he says, American Muslims made him feel welcome, even when some disagreed with his pro-Israel stance. “There were some suspicions and questions,” he recalls, “but very respectful.”
Khaldi’s personal story is so unusual it’s not surprising he received numerous speaking invitations over the years. One of 11 children from a nomadic Bedouin family in Israel’s Upper Galil, Khaldi grew up living in a tent with no electricity or running water. But generations before, his family had tied its fate to that of the Jewish state and has remained proudly Israeli.
As a boy he tended his father’s flocks. Later he became a policeman, served in the Israel Defense Forces and then with the Defense Ministry. Then, after earning a masters in international relations at Tel Aviv University, he left his village, came to America and — as a pro-Israeli Arab — became a popular speaker on college campuses.
Khaldi, known as Ish to many friends and acquaintances in the Bay Area, says he learned much during his tenure here. “I met wonderful people who could be my family,” he says, “people who would do anything for you. The Jewish community here is very warm.”
He also gained insight into American culture, and how little it resembles the Bedouin world in which he grew up. “America is a welcoming place, but sometimes people are busy with themselves. I come from a culture where hospitality is the cornerstone.”
He showed a touch of that hospitality himself when he brought his parents to San Francisco last year. It was the first time they’d ever been to a big city, never even having visited Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. “They were overwhelmed,” Khaldi says. “What impressed them the most was how warm and open people were.”
Khaldi says he’ll miss California, but he looks forward to the next chapter in his life. As arguably the world’s most high-profile pro-Israel Israeli Arab, that chapter should prove fascinating.
“I want to keep contributing,” he says, “doing my part in opening new horizons for the State of Israel.”