Israel and Iran have been in a state of war for little more than two months, with no progress in negotiations. The Middle East stands on the brink of another armed conflict. At this tense moment, The Standard interviewed the Israeli and Iranian consuls general in Hong Kong separately.
The result was a war of words from afar. Israeli CG Amir Lati singled out Iran as the threat to the Middle East. Iranian CG Hassan Doutaghi said the aggressors are accountable for closing the Strait of Hormuz and the resulting energy crunch. Yet both praised Hong Kong’s safety and diversity, and stressed their long ties with China.
This follows President Xi Jinping’s four-point proposal for Middle East peace – peaceful coexistence, respect for sovereignty, upholding international law, and regional coordination on development and security – issued in response to the worst Israel-Iran confrontation in decades.
Though the two diplomats refused to meet together, The Standard brought them face to face by meeting them on consecutive days. Both said they come from ancient civilizations – Jewish and Persian, like the Chinese – but accused the other of “annihilation” and “genocide.”
Both also called Hong Kong one of the safest, most welcoming places on earth.
For Lati, that is no small comfort. Despite attacks on Jews and synagogues globally, he feels safe in Hong Kong. The Mandarin-speaking diplomat spent much of his career in China. After studying Chinese on a scholarship in Beijing, he hopes to set an example for young Israelis.
Doutaghi said he was deeply moved by the empathy Hong Kong and Macau people showed Iran. His career has spanned continents, but he was impressed by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s results-oriented governance and the friendliness of Hongkongers.
Both consuls general stressed their peoples’ millennia-old ties to China and Hong Kong. Lati noted Jewish contributions to the city and that Hong Kong’s Jewish school is one of the largest in Asia. Doutaghi highlighted the Parsis – Persian descendants who lived in India and later came to Hong Kong under British rule.
But beneath the proud histories, enmity runs deep. Asked to justify Israel’s strike that killed former Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, Lati said the Islamic regime under that leader had conducted terrorist attacks and orchestrated terror across the Middle East. He insisted the strikes targeted military sites, not civilians. He hopes Iran will one day return to the moderate path it followed before 1979.
Declining to respond directly to Lati, Doutaghi said a “genocidal” regime has no legitimacy to talk about Iran. Stressing that “the Middle East does not need any ‘imported security,’” he said recent events show the US’ “big lies” and that regional powers can protect themselves and cooperate. On the Strait of Hormuz closure and fuel price hikes, he blamed US-Israeli aggression. On Iran’s nuclear program, he said it is for self-defense – a position he says the IAEA has acknowledged.
Notably, Jews, Muslims, and Christians are all descendants of Abraham. Both CGs rejected the idea that the conflict is religious, insisting it is political.
Read More:
'One single party – Iran': Israel's CG points finger at Tehran for most Mideast terror
Iran's CG: ‘Iran and the Middle East don't need imported security, US tells big lies'
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓
