When reporters asked why Benjamin Netanyahu picked him as the United States ambassador, Dr. Yechiel Leiter said, “after my son was killed in Gaza, I was looking for a way to stay alive.”
A few weeks ago, SSI had the privilege of hosting Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter to speak to UMD students. Leiter grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, before immigrating to Israel at age 18. There, he attended Yeshiva, served in the army, and wrote three books, earning multiple educational badges along the way.
Leiter spent much time discussing his recent monumental talks with the Lebanese ambassador. He explained that upon this diplomatic gesture, the President quickly emerged and re-entered the talks in the Oval Office. Both ambassadors came to a quick consensus that “the worst thing that can be done is [to] allow Iran to fund its proxies.” Leiter joked he almost asked the ambassador for an embrace, as it was so impactful to see both sides understand the crux of international instability.
In addition to discussing his diplomatic career, Leiter also described his views on the misconceptions about jihadist ideology. While many International Relations scholars believe countries in the Middle East operate under the same framework as any world power, the truth is not that simple. For instance, some scholars believe countries like Iran should get the nuclear bomb to bring mutually assured deterrence; however, Leiter notes this as completely void of reality.
Little scholarship addresses the Twelver Shia Muslims, who believe chaos and war are necessary to bring their messianic figure’s return. The Twelver Shiites dictate the occurrences in Iran and their proxies, like Hezbollah and the Houthis. They are the barriers to peace.
During his closing statement, Leiter hoped to instill in us that Zionism was not introduced by Herzl, and the dialogue that plagues society today is robbing Jews of their valuable history. We should never become apologetic and accept the harmful labels that we are occupiers or colonizers, not even in passing. The Torah starts with Jewish people ascending to Israel; we cannot be robbed of our deep history.
The evening concluded with a powerful shift in perspective. If we allow others to define our history, we allow them to erase it. Ambassador Leiter left UMD with a final guiding principle for every student in the room. He reminded us that our connection to the land is not a political talking point, it is our heritage; It is time we start acting like it.
