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Ron Prosor

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His Excellency
Ron Prosor
File:RONPROSOR.PNG
Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations
In office
8 June 2011 – 14 October 2015
PresidentShimon Peres
Reuven Rivlin
Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu
Preceded byMeron Reuben
Succeeded byDanny Danon
15th Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom
In office
2007–2011
PresidentShimon Peres
Prime MinisterEhud Olmert
Benjamin Netanyahu
Preceded byZvi Heifetz
Succeeded byDaniel Taub
Personal details
Born11 October 1958
Kfar Saba, Israel
Alma materHebrew University of Jerusalem
OccupationDiplomat, writer, columnist

Ron Prosor (Hebrew: רון פרושאור; born 11 October 1958)[1][2] is an Israeli diplomat, writer, and columnist. He served as Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2011 to 2015. He has previously served as Israel's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, and Director-General of Israel's Foreign Ministry.[3]

Biography

As an officer in the Artillery Division of the IDF, Prosor attained the rank of Major and he is a graduate of the IDF Battalion Commanders. He holds a master's degree in Political Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, graduating with distinction. Prosor and his wife Hadas have three children – Lior, Tomer and Oren – and one grandchild, Amit.[citation needed]

Diplomatic career and previous postings

With almost three decades of experience at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prosor has carved out an international reputation as one of Israel’s most distinguished diplomats. His overseas service also includes roles in Washington, Bonn, and London. Between 2004 and 2007 Prosor served as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, overseeing the work of the Foreign Ministry during the disengagement from Gaza in 2005.

Before arriving to the United Nations, Prosor served as Israel’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, where he earned plaudits for his articulate and forthright defense of Israel's position, publishing numerous articles throughout the British press and appearing on television outlets including the BBC and Sky News. Prosor also addressed a wide range of audiences throughout the country, including at universities and think tanks.[citation needed]

Permanent Representative to the United Nations

File:Ambassador Prosor at the General Assembly.PNG
Ambassador Prosor gives a speech at the UN General Assembly.

Since becoming Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Prosor has continued to be an outspoken proponent for the State of Israel.[4]

A prolific writer and commentator, Prosor has published in leading international publications, including the The Wall Street Journal.[5][6]

Since becoming Israel’s envoy to the UN, Prosor has held a series of notable positions, including Vice President of the General Assembly and Chair of the United Nations Human Rights Committee.[7] Prosor called for the first-ever General Assembly session on Antisemitism and oversaw the adoption of two landmark resolutions on entrepreneurship and agriculture that passed with an overwhelming majority.[8]

File:Prosor2.jpg
Ambassador Prosor Presents his credentials to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

On June 8, 2012 Ambassador Prosor was elected as a Vice President of the United Nations General Assembly.[7]

Foreign policy positions

Prosor is known as an outspoken diplomat and delivers speeches on a wide range of topics. He frequently publishes articles in a variety of international publications on Israel’s domestic policy and international status. He often attacks Hamas and seeks to raise awareness in the international community on the necessity to stop and isolate Hamas’ funders. In the summer of 2014, during the most recent conflict in Gaza, Prosor publicly accused Qatar of supporting terrorism.[9]

Israeli domestic policy

Prosor frequently writes in support of Israeli settlement plans.[10] In many of his writings, he argues that Jerusalem is the heart of the Jewish people and their "independent, legitimate and permanent nation state."[11]

He faults the Palestinian Authority for being unwilling to negotiate with Israel,[12] as well as the European states which unilaterally recognized a Palestinian state, thus sending the message that "the Palestinian Authority can sit in a government with terrorists and incite violence against Israel without paying any price."[12]

Moreover, Prosor defends a two-state solution[13] and calls on the international community to "encourage the Palestinians to enter into direct negotiations without preconditions in order to achieve an historic peace in which a demilitarized Palestinian state recognizes the Jewish state."[13]

Recognition of Israel

On several occasions, Prosor has framed the recognition of Israel's statehood as an existential right for Israel and the Jewish people.[11] According to Prosor, failing to recognize Israel is the greatest obstacle to peace in the region.[13] Therefore, he stressed the necessity for Arab states and the Palestinian Authority to recognize Israel.[13]

In his speech to the UN General Assembly in November 2014, Prosor accused the international community of fueling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by not understanding the history of the region.[12] He also blamed the Arab States for their wars against Israel, and concluded his address by acknowledging the necessity for the international community to choose between recognizing Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people or allowing Palestine to deny Israel’s rightful claim to their land.[12]

Most recently, in an op-ed published in the New York Times in March 2015, Prosor accused the UN of tolerating "repressive regimes that violate human rights and undermine international security" to control the organization.[14] He faulted the UN for singling out Israel on a variety of issues, for example, human rights, while not addressing more oppressive regimes.[14]

Palestine and Hamas

Prosor condemns Hamas’ brutal practices – from jailing women who remove their veils, to throwing political opponents from buildings, and promoting genocide in school and on TV, while pretending to be "moderate" and "reforming."[15] He also complains about weapons smuggling over the Egyptian border, as well as other black market items.[15] Each of his commentaries lambastes Hamas for its use of rocket attacks and small-arms fire, which frequently kill civilians and destroy homes and buildings.[15]

In an article appeared on The Telegraph in 2009, Prosor emphasized the failure of the international community to counter Hamas’ fundamentalism and violence against both Palestinians and Israelis.[15] He further argued that extremist regimes like Hamas pose a threat to the prosperity and stability of the Middle East.[15]

Qatari financing and support of terrorism

Interviewed in July 2014 by CBS reporter Pamela Falk on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza, Prosor claimed that Hamas’ "terror tunnels" were funded by Qatari money, and stressed the necessity to demilitarize the military infrastructure of Hamas towards the reconstruction of Gaza.[9] Prosor compared Qatar’s support for Hamas to Iranian military support to terrorism against Israel and more generally to terrorist activities in the Middle East.[9] He further noted that Qatar’s and Egypt's support for Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood stood in contrast to other Arab nations and deepened cleavages in the region.[9]

Furthermore, in an August 2014 op-ed published in the New York Times entitled, "Club Med for Terrorists" Prosor alleged that Qatar sought to improve its global image by funding prominent foreign universities in Doha and hosting the 2022 World Cup while simultaneously supporting Hamas, al-Qaeda, and the Muslim Brotherhood.[16]

He claimed that "hundreds of millions of dollars" of Qatari funds "funneled" to Gaza have ended up in the hands of Hamas, and noted that Qatar "harbors leading Islamist radicals," including Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi (spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood), Abdul Rahman Omeir al-Naimi (designated by the US as a terrorist financier of al-Qaeda), and Khaled Meshal (the leader of Hamas).[16]

In particular, Prosor denounced Qatar’s intention to play "a starring role in any cease-fire agreement between Hamas and Israel".[16] In fact, the diplomat argued that Qatar threatened to expel Khaled Meshal – whose uncompromising refusal to recognize Israel has been an obstacle to reaching a peace deal – if "Hamas accepted Egyptian proposals for a long-term cease-fire in Gaza."[17] Prosor concluded the op-ed by calling on Western nations to confront Qatar and demand that it stop financing Hamas.[16]

References

  1. ^ Jenni Frazer (26 May 2011). "Interview: Ron Proser". The Jewish Chronicle Online. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  2. ^ "Ron Prosor – רון פרושאור – About". Facebook. 1958-10-11. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  3. ^ Netanyahu names permanent envoy to UN, haaretz.com; accessed August 12, 2015.
  4. ^ Ron Prosor profile, globes.co.il; accessed 12 August 2015.
  5. ^ "Tolerating Hamas Invites a Mideast War", The Wall Street Journal; retrieved 8 July 2015.
  6. ^ "The response to Israel's announcement is disproportionate", telegraph.co.uk; accessed 2 August 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Ambassador Ron Prosor". Embassies.gov.il. 2012-03-26. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  8. ^ "List of Speakers". Herzliyaconference.org. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  9. ^ a b c d "Israel's UN ambassador shares roadblocks to halting hostilities with Hamas". YouTube. 2014-07-28. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  10. ^ Keinon, Herb (2012-12-19). "14 UNSC members slam settlement plans; US mum – Diplomacy & Politics – Jerusalem Post". Jpost.com. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  11. ^ a b Ron Prosor. "A taboo that harms Arabs too". The Guardian. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  12. ^ a b c d "Amb Prosor addresses UNGA on the Question of Palestine 24 Nov 2014". Mfa.gov.il. 2014-11-24. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  13. ^ a b c d "Full text of Israeli Amb. Ron Prosor's speech to the UN General Assembly". Voanews.com. 2012-11-29. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  14. ^ a b "United in Ignominy". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Hamas is leading Palestine down the road of carnage". Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  16. ^ a b c d "Qatar Club Med for Terrorists". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  17. ^ Jack Khoury (2014-08-20). "Report: Qatar Threatened to Expel Meshal if He Agreed to Cairo Truce Draft Diplomacy and Defense Haaretz Daily Newspaper Israel News". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
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