Envoy says JPM has done great deal in few months

It’s been four decades now since the Israeli embassy in Dar es Salaam was closed. Yet diplomatic ties between Tanzania and Israel have not ceased. And now, in a new bid to strengthen the relationship between the two countries, the government has said it will immediately open an embassy in the Israeli capital, Tel Aviv. Likewise, Israel will, for now, open an office (not a full-fledged embassy yet) in Dar es Salaam.

The office will make it easy for the provision of visas to Tanzanians wishing to travel to Israel. In this interview, The Citizen senior reporter Florence Mugarula discusses this and other issues with Israeli Ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Yael Vilan, who was recently in the country from his base in Nairobi, Kenya. Excerpts…

Question: Could you explain the main goals of your visit to Tanzania?

Answer: The main purpose of my visit is to meet with the new government. I was among the people who attended President John Magufuli’s inauguration in November last year. I am, therefore, here to pledge our commitment to continue working with the new government and strengthen our relationship. But it’s unfortunate that we do not have an embassy here. So, I must keep coming from Nairobi whenever I need to discuss anything with the Tanzanian government.

Your embassy was closed in the 1970s in Dar es Salaam, now with this effort to strengthen diplomatic relationships, don’t you see it’s the right time for you to re-open the office here?

It is true that our embassy was closed in 1973. It is now four decades. I wish we can open the new embassy in Dar es Salaam, but the budget does not allow us to do so. We cannot open an embassy at the moment, but it is something we can keep planning on in future. For the time being, we will continue working from Nairobi. But I am here to see what we can do together. We have some Israeli companies operating in Tanzania in various sectors, so I wish we had an embassy here for the convenience of the both of us. But at the moment I think the way we have been operating from Nairobi is not bad at all. However, the desire that Israel has an embassy in Dar es Salaam and yours (Tanzania) in Tel Aviv is still there.

Which areas does your country focus on in its cooperation with Tanzania?

Israel focuses on various areas such as agriculture, water projects, bee-keeping as well as science and technology. Israel has invited the Tanzanian business community to attend business seminars in Tel Aviv in September this year. Such seminars have been taking place in a rotation form, last year, the seminar took place here in Dar es Salaam. Israel can share experiences in irrigation farming, the health sector, energy and other areas. This kind of relationship is aimed at bringing Tanzanians and the Israeli people together.

As a diplomat, how do you assess the performance of President John Magufuli’s government?

To be honest, the new government looks impressive, both in face and content. President Magufuli is really trying to bring changes rapidly. This is a very positive change for the Tanzanian people. As an outsider, I must say he has done a lot in a short period.

Israel is among the countries with modern and powerful security personnel, however, it appears the country has not been fully involved in the war against terrorism, a global disaster. What is your take on this?

Israel has only eight million people, and fighting terrorism is not a task of one country. It demands collective effort from different countries. Terrorists have no boundaries, so the war against terrorists has no boundaries as well. Israel offers assistance to friendly countries in fighting terrorism and we are an active member of the United Nations. However, we do not have enough troops to send everywhere.

The conflict between Israel and Palestine has been raging for many decades now. What do you think could be the lasting solution?

It is very true that Israel and Palestine have been fighting for many years. The solution is with the two sides. I would like to ask Palestinians to stop running to the UN and other countries, instead they must come to a roundtable with Israel. Both sides must accept to give up some of their dreams, it’s important for a lasting agreement. Palestinian leaders must also stop taking an inflexible stance, but instead educate their people to learn to forgo some of their dreams. This is the way to walking the road to lasting peace. The majority of Israelis have not lost hope on this. We still believe that the solution is in us sitting down together and discussing our differences. In other words, we need a two-state solution. Interestingly, it takes only15 minutes to drive from Jerusalem to Ramallah. This means we are that close to a solution – we all must come up with a two-state solution. As a matter of fact, Israel has no intention to keep controlling Palestine. But we need a reliable partner when it comes to negotiations. I think Palestinians should see Israel as a partner and not an enemy.