Trump’s plan is our hope, says Israeli President Reuven Rivlin

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has supported US President ­Don­ald Trump’s controversial peace plan as creating hope.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has supported US President ­Don­ald Trump’s controversial peace plan as creating hope for building trust between Israel and the ­Palestinians, as he arrives in Australia for an extensive state visit.

Mr Rivlin, in an interview with The Australian, said the Israeli­-Palestinian relationship was “a tragedy for us both” and Mr Trump’s controversial plan, widely seen to favour Israel, offered a chance to break the pattern of the past. “We have had enough of the cycle of violence … but we cannot hope for a better future if we continue to use the same approaches and tools that have failed time after time in previous rounds.”

Mobile users: click here to read the Israeli President’s full interview

Mr Rivlin will meet Scott Morrison, Governor-General David Hurley and the premiers of NSW and Victoria in his six-day visit. He is the third serving Israeli president to visit Australia.

He hailed the Australia-Israel friendship and the strong support given to Israel by the Morrison government, in particular at the UN: “Israel and Australia share values of democracy, equality and liberty, which are the foundations for our longstanding and strong relationship.”

The President lauded the long history of Australia’s connection with Israel. “Israelis remember with gratitude the bravery of Anzac forces, including the charge of the Australian Light Horse in the Battle of Beersheva in 1917, a critical turning point in the war,” he said.

Mr Rivlin expressed gratitude to Canberra for support in rejecting a Palestinian effort­ to bring charges of war crimes against the Israeli Defence Force at the International Criminal Court.

The Morrison government expressed the view that it did not recognise the Palestinian Authority as a state and therefore the PA did not have standing to bring such an action at the ICC. The US and a range of European nation­s took similar views.

Mr Rivlin said: “We deeply appreciat­e Australia’s stance. The IDF has a strong moral code and alleged breaches are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. We must stand together to oppose the politicisation of the ICC and the abuse of international institutions to resolve political differences that should be address­ed in direct negotiations.”

The Israeli President had harsh words for Iran, saying Israel would not allow Tehran “to grow and to breed and to export terror, instability and threats to the state of Israel”.

He said Iran was the greatest threat to regional and global stab­ility today. “Its malign influence extends across our region, and around the world,” Mr Rivlin said.

He said Iran funded and direc­ted Hezbollah, and the Shia militias in Syria, and supported Hamas and Islamic Jihad across the Middle East. “Iran destabilises the region,” he said. “Its regime is publicly committed to our destruct­ion and is openly pursuing the realisation of its aims.”

Mr Rivlin said Israel’s enem­ies should understand the Jewish state had the capacity and ­obligation to defend its citizens, “and will not hesitate to do so if necessary”.

Israel goes to the polls for the third time in a year on March 2, because no leader has been able to form a governing coalition after the past two elections. The President will be required to deter­mine which leader gets the first chance to try to form a government, should no party or bloc win a majority in the Knessett, as is normal in ­Israeli politics.

Mr Rivlin described Israeli society as consisting of “four tribes”: religious Jews, ultra-Orthodox Jews, Arabs and secular citizens.

Although in pre-presidential life, as a Likud politician, he was regarded as a right-winger and a strong supporter of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, he has also been an outspoken champion of the rights and interests of Arab Israelis, and speaks fluent Arabic. “My father, a professor of Arabic­ at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, translated the Koran into Hebrew to create deeper understanding between us,” he said. “Our agreements with Egypt and Jordan, once our greatest enemies, have endured, bringing benefits to us all.”

Mr Rivlin also stressed the need, with the election looming, for the divergent groups within Israeli society to have a more fruitful dialogue with each other.