The Bay Area Jewish community has a pleasant surprise in store when Israel’s new deputy consul general assumes office in October. His name is Ismail Khaldi, and he is the first Bedouin Arab to hold such a position in Israel’s diplomatic corps.
As our cover story this week makes plain, Khaldi is a remarkable man with a remarkable history. Raised a nomad in the Galilee, he learned early on that Israel was his country and that he had nothing to fear from his Jewish compatriots. A democracy’s strength, he came to understand, grows out of its diversity.
After getting his bachelor’s degree, Khaldi opted to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. He earned a master’s in international relations from Tel Aviv University, and has drawn high praise from colleagues in the Israeli government.
It remains to be seen how the local Jewish community and community at large will receive his posting here. We sincerely hope it is with open arms and open ears.
Fluent in four languages, a lifelong admirer of America, and a true disciple of democracy, Khaldi embodies the kind of rags-to-riches life story loved by Americans, especially American Jews. It’s hard to resist a guy who as a young man left his Bedouin tents for New York City, arrived with only a few hundred dollars in his pocket, knew no one, and within a day or so was kibitzing in Hebrew with the Chassids of Brooklyn’s Boro Park.
Some on the left and on the right may view Khaldi’s appointment as inappropriate. The more hawkish might suspect the motives of an Arab Muslim in such a sensitive post. Strident anti-Israelis may question how an Arab could possibly serve the “occupiers.”
Yet from what we know so far, Khaldi’s loyalty to Israel is absolute, as is his grasp of the country’s role as the Middle East’s sole multi-ethnic democracy. A diplomat like Khaldi might be just the right person to represent Israel to the Bay Area’s multiple constituencies.
This week, Hamas terrorists attacked an IDF post, killed two and kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. Israeli responded with air strikes and tanks rolling into Gaza. These are tense times. War and rumors of war once again cloud the hearts of all who long for Mideast peace.
But it’s helpful to remember one reason why we love Israel: The country’s commitment to its democratic creed. Khaldi is a product of that creed, and deserves not only the benefit of the doubt, but no doubt at all. He is an Israeli and, therefore, our brother.
We welcome Ismail Khaldi to our local Israeli consulate, and wish him nothing but success.