General Grundwerg is clear and specific on his position on a two-state solution, saying, “I'm aware that there are those in the community who do not support a two-state solution, and then there are others that obviously do. We in the Consulate and I represent the policies of the current Israeli government, and the policy of this government and this Prime Minister is a policy that remains committed to a vision of a two-state solution – of two states living side by side. Israel is not interested in ruling the Palestinian people, and we see our future as two states living in peace and prospering side by side.”
Consul General Grundwerg also acknowledges that implementing a two-state solution with the Palestinians is a daunting and, so far, elusive diplomatic task, saying, “We have to look at the wider context of what's going on in the Middle East, (with) countries that are disintegrating all around us and borders that are disintegrating all around us. We want to be able to negotiate a safe and secure settlement for Israel, but we don't want to set ourselves up for failure and have a new Arab state established that will immediately fail. So we've reiterated the fact that we really are committed to the vision of a two-state solution, but we have to have direct negotiations with the other side in order to achieve a two-state solution that's sustainable.” And as far as getting the Jewish community here in America on board with this vision, Grundwerg explains, “The way we unify throughout the Jewish community is by discussing all of those issues and how we get there.”
As he acclimates to his new post and responsibilities, Consul General Grundwerg's diplomatic “to do” list seems remarkably long and challenging. Yet he has already developed an awareness of the Greater Long Beach Jewish community, and its importance to his overall mission, saying, “It's very important to me to, very quickly, develop an understanding of the Jewish communities in the area. Long Beach is literally on the map in terms of its significance to the Consulate, and we view it as very important. I look forward to getting there.”
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