Recent News

Comments of Deputy Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles, Yaron Gamberg, Friedman event, 9/11/2005.

I’d like to thank our hosts today, Beth and Josh Friedman and, of course, Pups for Peace founder, Dr. Glenn Yago.  I’d also like to thank you for all of the work you do for Israel.  Your support, and the support of the American Jewish community is vital to the well being of the State of Israel.

The implementation of the Disengagement Plan initiated by the Israeli government a year and a half ago, is coming to an end. Next Monday control over the Gaza Strip will be transferred to the Palestinian Authority. Through this we'll achieve one of the most important goals of the Disengagement Plan: minimizing the friction between Israelis and Palestinians in the one of the most populated areas in the world. The other goal of the plan—reinvigorating the peace process by taking a unilateral step—has yet to be achieved.

The onus now lies with the Palestinian Authority and its ability to dismantle terrorist organizations and infrastructure, and take full control of the security situation. However, recent events in Gaza show that we cannot afford to have any illusions about Palestinian security forces and their tenuous, if non-existent, control over radical extremists.

Though we are willing to make painful sacrifices for peace, the State of Israel will never comprise the safety of its citizens.  Therefore we must continue to rely on our security forces.  This is why we continue our plan to complete the security fence in the West Bank, to be finished by the end of this year.

However, threats to Israeli security come not only from Gaza and the West Bank.  Our region, as we all know, is problematic, to say the least.  Despite recent developments in the Arab world—the democratic processes taking place in Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt—there are a number of nations such as Iran and Syria who support and finance terrorists.  It’s imperative that Israel be strong enough to fight these forces, and prevent them from carrying out their malicious attacks.  As we know all too well, terrorism is not a Middle East phenomenon anymore.

This is why the work Pups for Peace does is crucial.  Your work is used and praised by our police, the IDF, and the public transportation security.  The proven impact of canine counter-terrorist is twofold: detection and deterrence.  The dogs are able to sniff out explosives and alert us to potential danger.  The more significant impact, one that is harder to see the results of, yet are so extremely vital to the security of Israeli citizens, is deterrence. Dogs deter terrorists from reaching their target, or delay them once they get there.  The importance of deterrence cannot be underestimated.

Also, the need for your work is obvious.  We know from intelligence reports of several planned attacks daily.  We live in a hostile region, and know that this will not go away any time soon.  Though we do everything in our power to ensure the safety of our citizenry, the Israeli Government is under great budgetary constraints.  We depend on our partners in the Los Angeles Jewish community through programs like Pups for Peace.  You aid us in our efforts to keep Israel safe, and for that we will always be grateful.

Back to Index