Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joining us from the office of the Consulate General of
Israel to the Midwest is the Console of Political and
Commercial Affairs, E Tai Buran joining us on the phone line.
Thank you so much, Surf for being a part of our.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Show and thank you for having me today.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
No problem at all. I think we're all kind of
looking for as much context as to what is happening
in the Middle East as we possibly can. So from
your perspective, what is kind of on a scale of
one to ten, kind of the worry level of what
you see from Iran as to why Israel felt the
(00:36):
need to attack and strike Iran last week?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Yeah, thank you. Yeah, that was an imminent threat and
Israel we launched an operation to counter this double imminent threat,
first the rapid advancement of Iran's nuclear weapon program and
a second massive expansion of long grade ballistic missile capabilities.
(00:59):
And did this threat as such.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
When you look at the relationship that Israel has with
the United States and that the US is kind of
sitting there waiting potentially to get involved here, how important
is it for Israel's end goals to try to dismantle
the nuclear weaponry and the uranium enrichment sites in Iran.
(01:22):
How vital is it to have the United States also
taking part in those operations?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
At that point we are working alone. The American support
is super important as always. But I want to say,
the decision whether to strike Iran, whether to join this effort,
should of course be made only by the Americans.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
So there is minimal pressure what you're saying from the
Israeli government to get Donald Trump in the United States
directly involved in what the operation is.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Right, It's not a matter of pressure, it's none of
the vision should be should be made only by the Americans,
and I'm sure by the way that any decision made
by the President will be based on American interests only.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Okay E Taye burn is joining us is the consul
of Political and commercial affairs from the Consulate General's Office
of Israel to the Midwest. My biggest I think question
about life, and maybe you could help me with this,
is when you are Israel and you're surrounded by a
lot of different countries where we know of Hamas, we
(02:32):
know of Hesbalo, we know of the hu Thi's, we
know Iran in the region, and people of Arabic backgrounds
are not really, this is not a situation where many
of these countries are or at least these proxy groups
want to see Israel destroyed or demolished or defeated. How like,
how does the government of Israel operate knowing that there
(02:55):
seems to be an imminent threat always in this region?
Speaker 2 (02:58):
You know, this is our reality for the last seventy
seven years at least, and even before. This is what
we know. This is what we deal with. This is
our reality, and I think that we will prevail. We
don't have any other option.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
What would it take to feel like there isn't an
imminent threat anymore? If it is Iran no longer has
capabilities of a nuclear weapon, does it require a regime change?
There are there other nations in their governments in the
Middle East that you have to look out for.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
And the You know, when I talk about imminent threat,
and again it's a double imminent threat, I talk only
about the advancement, the rapid advancement of nuclear weapons program
and the massive expansion of long long range ballistics and
missiles capabilities. When we are able to neutralize it, this
is where I can tell that there will no there
(03:52):
will no be there won't be Sorry, an imminent threat anymore?
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Is there I suppose are there countries that you feel
like are looking out for Israel's interest in the region
that may not be obvious allies, but we've seen, you know,
countries like Qatar or Egypt kind of working as mediators
for the Hamas war. Are there other nations that are
(04:19):
around Israel in the Middle East that you would say
would be on Israel's side in trying to eradicate this threat?
Or is Israel kind of on its own?
Speaker 2 (04:29):
First, we are on our own right now and it's
and it's okay, and as you can see, we are
doing quite well. Having said that, I think that this
threat is not I would say, eliminating this threat is
not just an Israeli interest, it's also we're acting in
(04:50):
the interest of a global security here. So again I
think it's not just our interest, it's a global interest
and how it should be taking.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Tay Bron is joining us is Consul of Political and
Commercial Affairs from the Office of the Consulate General of
Israel to the Midwest. Can you I probably should have
started with this at the beginning. We can you kind
of explain what you guys do in this office, in
what your job is specifically here in the United States.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yes, of course. So the State of Israel has an
embassy in Washington, of course, that covers the federal affairs,
and eight consulates around the state. Each consulate covers a
few states. We cover nine states of the Midwest, everything
that is between Michigan and Indiana all the way to
(05:43):
the Dakotas and Nebraska. We work mainly on three levels,
the political level, commercial level, and what we call the
community outreach. And we do, of course, naturally what any
other foreign mission does, trying our best to bring Israel
and the Midwest together and to enhance the relations, the
(06:07):
political relations, business relations, and so on and so forth,
to enhance those relations and to make sure that we're
strengthening this important alliance between Israel and the United States.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
When we talk about the United States, certainly if you've
been here of Israeli background or your even Jewish background,
there have been, especially in college campuses and in major
metropolitan areas, these pro Palestine or anti Israel protests essentially
that have been calling for a free state of Palestine
(06:42):
in the Middle East and calling on institutions or businesses
or government entities to divest from Israeli companies or the
Israeli government as a whole. From your perspective, how can
you kind of explain how that has made you personally feel,
but also how that's being viewed by your guys' offices
around the country, knowing that there is some level of
(07:03):
unrest in this country despite this conflict taking place eight
thousand miles away.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Yeah. Well, as we always say, you know, criticism is legit,
and we are always open to criticism, and you don't
have to be you don't have to always to support
as well to be one hundred percent pro as well.
But the line that we draw here is where some
people might say that they undermine the very legitimacy of
(07:28):
the state of Israel. And this is where I think
it could pass us the legitimate, the legitimate line we
are trying. We're trying to reach out and to be
as much engaged as possible with the leadership in the academia,
both presidents of universities, students leadership and so on and
(07:49):
so forth, and to share our story, to share our narrative,
and to at least try fighting the false narrative that
you've just mentioned.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Yeah, e Ti Beran joining us console of Political and
Commercial Affairs for the Office of the Consul at General
of Israel to the Midwest. Just a couple more questions
for you, Etai. First and foremost, you mentioned, you know,
the nation of Israel. There is some talk about the
nation as it is right now. You mentioned seventy seven
years of being located with these borders and with this
(08:25):
kind of reality, and there is I guess some dissension
amongst people, at least in the Republican Party, of how
aggressive the US should be in protecting Israel, defending Israel
as part of this Iranian mission that is going on
right now. For people who just are a bit confused
as to how the government operates in Israel, how do
(08:47):
you best describe what the seventy seven year history of
this particular nation is so people can understand those issues?
Are those trials, those tribulations that this nation has had
since its inception.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
I think that it should be noted that Israel doesn't
have a better friend than an ally from the United States.
These unique relations something that every Israeli acknowledges, and we
always want to enhance it and strengthen it. I think
(09:19):
that this alliance, this friendship, is based on mutual values
that both countries believe in democracy, freedom and more. And
that is the reason why it is so strong.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Last question for you, the concern that some people have
about the United States becoming involved in this, as you mentioned,
is going to come from a decision is going to
be made by an American president and his staff for
American interests. But what do you see timeline wise? Ideally?
And I know that you're not in I guess the
(09:56):
situation room of Israel about these military strategies. But from
a timeline perspective, Donald Trump says within two weeks he'll
make a decision about how he will act. Do you
know about how long this type of conflict could continue
in the Middle East, with Israel and Iran firing missiles
at each other.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
I think that I'm not in a position where I
can even offer some kind of a timeline. I think
that the American President when he talks about two weeks,
he knows what he's talking about, of course, and again,
his decision will be based only on American interests. And
(10:34):
I don't think that I have anything to add in
that sense.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
E ty Bron a Console of Political and Commercial Affairs
for the Office of the consul at General of Israel
to the Midwest. Really appreciate the time. Thank you so
much for the information you could provide us today, and
thank you so much for being a part of what
we had on the show today.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Okay, that is very interesting information. Big things to E.
Tybron for being on the show today. Mark on the
Way on news radio eleven ten kfab
Joining us from the office of the Consulate General of
Israel to the Midwest is the Console of Political and
Commercial Affairs, E Tai Buran joining us on the phone line.
Thank you so much, Surf for being a part of our.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Show and thank you for having me today.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
No problem at all. I think we're all kind of
looking for as much context as to what is happening
in the Middle East as we possibly can. So from
your perspective, what is kind of on a scale of
one to ten, kind of the worry level of what
you see from Iran as to why Israel felt the
(00:36):
need to attack and strike Iran last week?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Yeah, thank you. Yeah, that was an imminent threat and
Israel we launched an operation to counter this double imminent threat,
first the rapid advancement of Iran's nuclear weapon program and
a second massive expansion of long grade ballistic missile capabilities.
(00:59):
And did this threat as such.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
When you look at the relationship that Israel has with
the United States and that the US is kind of
sitting there waiting potentially to get involved here, how important
is it for Israel's end goals to try to dismantle
the nuclear weaponry and the uranium enrichment sites in Iran.
(01:22):
How vital is it to have the United States also
taking part in those operations?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
At that point we are working alone. The American support
is super important as always. But I want to say,
the decision whether to strike Iran, whether to join this effort,
should of course be made only by the Americans.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
So there is minimal pressure what you're saying from the
Israeli government to get Donald Trump in the United States
directly involved in what the operation is.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Right, It's not a matter of pressure, it's none of
the vision should be should be made only by the Americans,
and I'm sure by the way that any decision made
by the President will be based on American interests only.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Okay E Taye burn is joining us is the consul
of Political and commercial affairs from the Consulate General's Office
of Israel to the Midwest. My biggest I think question
about life, and maybe you could help me with this,
is when you are Israel and you're surrounded by a
lot of different countries where we know of Hamas, we
(02:32):
know of Hesbalo, we know of the hu Thi's, we
know Iran in the region, and people of Arabic backgrounds
are not really, this is not a situation where many
of these countries are or at least these proxy groups
want to see Israel destroyed or demolished or defeated. How like,
how does the government of Israel operate knowing that there
(02:55):
seems to be an imminent threat always in this region?
Speaker 2 (02:58):
You know, this is our reality for the last seventy
seven years at least, and even before. This is what
we know. This is what we deal with. This is
our reality, and I think that we will prevail. We
don't have any other option.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
What would it take to feel like there isn't an
imminent threat anymore? If it is Iran no longer has
capabilities of a nuclear weapon, does it require a regime change?
There are there other nations in their governments in the
Middle East that you have to look out for.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
And the You know, when I talk about imminent threat,
and again it's a double imminent threat, I talk only
about the advancement, the rapid advancement of nuclear weapons program
and the massive expansion of long long range ballistics and
missiles capabilities. When we are able to neutralize it, this
is where I can tell that there will no there
(03:52):
will no be there won't be Sorry, an imminent threat anymore?
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Is there I suppose are there countries that you feel
like are looking out for Israel's interest in the region
that may not be obvious allies, but we've seen, you know,
countries like Qatar or Egypt kind of working as mediators
for the Hamas war. Are there other nations that are
(04:19):
around Israel in the Middle East that you would say
would be on Israel's side in trying to eradicate this threat?
Or is Israel kind of on its own?
Speaker 2 (04:29):
First, we are on our own right now and it's
and it's okay, and as you can see, we are
doing quite well. Having said that, I think that this
threat is not I would say, eliminating this threat is
not just an Israeli interest, it's also we're acting in
(04:50):
the interest of a global security here. So again I
think it's not just our interest, it's a global interest
and how it should be taking.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Tay Bron is joining us is Consul of Political and
Commercial Affairs from the Office of the Consulate General of
Israel to the Midwest. Can you I probably should have
started with this at the beginning. We can you kind
of explain what you guys do in this office, in
what your job is specifically here in the United States.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yes, of course. So the State of Israel has an
embassy in Washington, of course, that covers the federal affairs,
and eight consulates around the state. Each consulate covers a
few states. We cover nine states of the Midwest, everything
that is between Michigan and Indiana all the way to
(05:43):
the Dakotas and Nebraska. We work mainly on three levels,
the political level, commercial level, and what we call the
community outreach. And we do, of course, naturally what any
other foreign mission does, trying our best to bring Israel
and the Midwest together and to enhance the relations, the
(06:07):
political relations, business relations, and so on and so forth,
to enhance those relations and to make sure that we're
strengthening this important alliance between Israel and the United States.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
When we talk about the United States, certainly if you've
been here of Israeli background or your even Jewish background,
there have been, especially in college campuses and in major
metropolitan areas, these pro Palestine or anti Israel protests essentially
that have been calling for a free state of Palestine
(06:42):
in the Middle East and calling on institutions or businesses
or government entities to divest from Israeli companies or the
Israeli government as a whole. From your perspective, how can
you kind of explain how that has made you personally feel,
but also how that's being viewed by your guys' offices
around the country, knowing that there is some level of
(07:03):
unrest in this country despite this conflict taking place eight
thousand miles away.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Yeah. Well, as we always say, you know, criticism is legit,
and we are always open to criticism, and you don't
have to be you don't have to always to support
as well to be one hundred percent pro as well.
But the line that we draw here is where some
people might say that they undermine the very legitimacy of
(07:28):
the state of Israel. And this is where I think
it could pass us the legitimate, the legitimate line we
are trying. We're trying to reach out and to be
as much engaged as possible with the leadership in the academia,
both presidents of universities, students leadership and so on and
(07:49):
so forth, and to share our story, to share our narrative,
and to at least try fighting the false narrative that
you've just mentioned.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Yeah, e Ti Beran joining us console of Political and
Commercial Affairs for the Office of the Consul at General
of Israel to the Midwest. Just a couple more questions
for you, Etai. First and foremost, you mentioned, you know,
the nation of Israel. There is some talk about the
nation as it is right now. You mentioned seventy seven
years of being located with these borders and with this
(08:25):
kind of reality, and there is I guess some dissension
amongst people, at least in the Republican Party, of how
aggressive the US should be in protecting Israel, defending Israel
as part of this Iranian mission that is going on
right now. For people who just are a bit confused
as to how the government operates in Israel, how do
(08:47):
you best describe what the seventy seven year history of
this particular nation is so people can understand those issues?
Are those trials, those tribulations that this nation has had
since its inception.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
I think that it should be noted that Israel doesn't
have a better friend than an ally from the United States.
These unique relations something that every Israeli acknowledges, and we
always want to enhance it and strengthen it. I think
(09:19):
that this alliance, this friendship, is based on mutual values
that both countries believe in democracy, freedom and more. And
that is the reason why it is so strong.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Last question for you, the concern that some people have
about the United States becoming involved in this, as you mentioned,
is going to come from a decision is going to
be made by an American president and his staff for
American interests. But what do you see timeline wise? Ideally?
And I know that you're not in I guess the
(09:56):
situation room of Israel about these military strategies. But from
a timeline perspective, Donald Trump says within two weeks he'll
make a decision about how he will act. Do you
know about how long this type of conflict could continue
in the Middle East, with Israel and Iran firing missiles
at each other.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
I think that I'm not in a position where I
can even offer some kind of a timeline. I think
that the American President when he talks about two weeks,
he knows what he's talking about, of course, and again,
his decision will be based only on American interests. And
(10:34):
I don't think that I have anything to add in
that sense.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
E ty Bron a Console of Political and Commercial Affairs
for the Office of the consul at General of Israel
to the Midwest. Really appreciate the time. Thank you so
much for the information you could provide us today, and
thank you so much for being a part of what
we had on the show today.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Okay, that is very interesting information. Big things to E.
Tybron for being on the show today. Mark on the
Way on news radio eleven ten kfab
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