Avraham "Avi“ Primor ( he, אבי פרימור, born 8 April 1935 in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...

) is an Israeli

publicist A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a company, a brand, or public figure – especially a celebrity – or for a work such as a book, film, or album. Publicists are public relations specialists who ...

and former diplomat. From 1987 to 1993, he served as Ambassador to the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

, and from 1993 to 1999 as Ambassador to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. After leaving the diplomatic service, he was vice-president of the

University of Tel Aviv Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

until 2004. While Ambassador to Germany, Primor rose to national prominence as one of the most important promoters of the German-Israeli dialogue. He has been awarded the Mérite européen award for his contribution to European unification, as well as the Grand Cross with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. Since 2010, Avi Primor has served president of the

Israel Council on Foreign Relations The Israel Council on Foreign Relations (ICFR) is an independent, non-partisan forum for the study and debate of foreign policy issues, especially those relating to the State of Israel and the Jewish people. The ICFR publishes a triannual policy a ...

, an independent, non-partisan think tank for the study and debate of foreign policy questions, especially those relating to the

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

and the

Jewish people Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

. Primor has published a number of articles on Israel, the Middle East, Iran and Israeli-German relations in newspapers and magazines, including Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany), and he is also regularly interviewed as an expert on these issues on radio and television, notably in Germany.

Views on Israeli-Palestinian peace process

At an international workshop on global security held in Rome in 2010, Avi Primor said regarding the prospects for peace between Israelis and Palestinians: ::"We do not implement a peace plan because the majority of Israelis believe that the one and only issue that truly interests them, which is the issue of security, has not been resolved in any of the peace propositions that have been published. When we negotiated with

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

and with

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

, we knew that those partners, if willing, were capable of guaranteeing us security. We do not think that our Palestinian partner, although he is willing, is capable of guaranteeing us security. We fear that if we leave the West Bank under the present conditions, even within the framework of a peace agreement, that the situation in the West Bank will develop as it did in the evacuated Gaza Strip. If we do not find a solution that convinces Israelis that leaving the West Bank will guarantee their security, then there will be no public opinion to support or put pressure on the Israeli government to accept a peace agreement. I think that the solution only can come from the international community."Ambassador Avi Primor - Security as the Key to Peace in the Middle East, Opening Remarks
/ref>

Publications

*"No Permanent Allies, No Permanent Enemies, Only Permanent Interests: Israeli-Iranian Relations", Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs VIII : 1 (2014) pp 33–38.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Primor, Avi 1935 births Ambassadors of Israel to Germany Jews in Mandatory Palestine People from Tel Aviv Israeli Jews Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Living people City College of New York alumni