Avital. 'No sex scandals'
Photo: Knesset website
The first Israeli Madam President?
So what if the guard at Labor party headquarters does not recognize her? MK Colette Avital ignores the insult and moves on to her next objective; she dreams of becoming Israel’s first female president
Colette Avital believes that she would make an excellent president, especially compared to some of the other would-be-candidates.
“Fouad (Binyamin Ben-Eliezer) is one of the biggest bulldozers that I’ve met in my life, and therefore I suspect that he would be bored at the President’s Residence. As long as he still has energy, I would prefer to see him in a more crucial and important operational role,” she explains.
“Rabbi (Israel Meir) Lau has merits and qualities that can represent the nation, but not in its entirety. It’s a problem when the president says in advance that he won’t shake hands with fifty percent of the Israeli public: the women.”
What do you think of MK Rueven Rivlin’s candidacy?
“He knows where to insert a joke.”
At age 10, Avital and her parents moved to Israel from Romania. She began working at the Foreign Ministry as a clerk and, since then, has filled numerous positions, including emissary to Paris, Israeli ambassadress to Portugal, consul-general in New York, and assistant director-general of the Foreign Ministry.
In 1999, she was elected to the Knesset as a Labor party candidate, and in the last election, she managed to gain the 12th slot on the party’s Knesset roster. Today, she dreams of updating her resume by becoming Israel’s first female president.
As befitting someone with a long diplomatic career, she has shelves full of mementoes. She pulls out a photograph in which Avital, wearing an unflattering Gideon Oberson suit and a Margaret Thatcher-style hat, can be seen shaking hands with the Portuguese president.
“This was the ceremony where I presented my credentials when I was appointed as Israeli ambassadress to Portugal,” Avital reminisces. “The presidential car arrived to pick me up. We reached the place where the horsemen stood in the street, and they saluted me. Later, other horsemen played the Israeli anthem. I was supposed to stand at attention, but in the middle of Hatikva, my hat blew away.
"I was distraught, because they had explained to me that I must have a hat when presenting my credentials. I ran after it once the anthem had finished. You understand? You wait your entire life for the most moving passage of your life, and how does it conclude? Your hat blows away.”
One can assume that the rational Avital was never involved in anything more scandalous than that. She intends to keep her reputation spotless.
“There will be no sex scandals in the President’s Residence,” she asserts in full campaign-promise mode. “Not even corruption. I would like to hope that I would try to make the President’s Residence into something beautiful, pleasant and attractive, so that people can be proud of it.”
How does that fit with the Mimouna celebrations? Somehow, I find it hard to picture you frying mufletas?
“I actually enjoy mufletas very much. I try not to gain weight, but this is one of the things that I really like. By the way, I don’t only enjoy eating; I also enjoy cooking.”
I gather that you wouldn’t have cooks in the President’s Residence?
“That’s correct. What, is it so hard to go into the kitchen upon occasion? What happened? When I was the ambassadress, I didn’t cook? I recall that when I was consul in Boston, I was very excited when I hosted Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis and the Israeli Ambassador in Washington Simcha Dinitz for dinner. I cooked everything myself.”
If Avital does indeed get the chance to move into the President’s Residence, she will undoubtedly be accompanied by Storm, her beloved fourteen year old Labrador. During the recent elections, she even brought him to Labor party headquarters. At first, the guard, who did not recognize Avital, refused to admit the dog. But Avital was adamant that Storm be permitted entry, and eventually, she had her way.
“He is simply unwilling to stay by himself,” Avital reports. “I’m sure that he appreciates the attention that I give him.”
What will you do with Storm if you become president? After all, you can’t take him for a walk.
“Why not?”
Peace with Katsav
Avital notes that not every past president treated women appropriately.
“Ezer Weizman said completely unacceptable things about women,” she says. “When he asked Alice Miller, who wanted to become a combat pilot, ‘Maideleh, did you ever see a man knitting socks?’ – it didn’t bring him honor.”
President Moshe Katsav is now embroiled in a story that also does not bring much honor to the presidency.
“As long as nothing has been proven in that affair, I would rather not express an opinion on the subject. I hope he is proven innocent – both for himself and for the institution of the presidency. As a matter of fact, Gila Katsav is staying at his side in a way that I find very honorable and admirable, because it’s not easy to deal with. It’s very possible that in the end, we’ll discover that he wasn’t guilty of anything and that she knew that. In any event, I don’t even have a shadow of a doubt that there is real love and solidarity on her part.”
Initially, Avital was less than enamored by Katsav. She claims that he had told the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee, of which she is a member, that he would not pardon anyone indirectly involved with Yitzhak Rabin’s murder.
“Sometime later, I learned that he had pardoned Margalit Har-Shefi, and I was shocked,” she grumbles. “I announced that I thought that it was forbidden for the president to do that and that I had no intention of ever visiting the President’s Residence again. For two years, I didn’t go to the President’s Residence.”
How did your boycott end?
“At a certain stage, his people decided that the time had come to make peace.”
What can you say about Katsav’s tenure?
“He was too cautious in order to avoid antagonism. He wasn’t sufficiently resolved. I think that if you are the president and you are given tremendous power, then you have to be less fearful and advance more – even if it means taking risks. You can’t be a rubber stamp. You have to set a moral example and, when necessary, be able to come and say: ‘One second, let’s wake up.’
"I didn’t hear him during the war. It’s possible that his current situation is so delicate that he can’t endanger himself or speak, but there is an expectation – specifically in moments like these – of finding some sort of anchor. I would like for that anchor to be in the President’s Residence.”
How would you differ from previous presidents?
“A woman’s management style is different; it’s more inclusive. Women are better able to solve conflicts with grace and diplomacy.”
Will you insist that people call you ‘Your Honor’?
“No. At most ‘madam’, but I can also be referred to by my first name. I have no problem with that. There was once a president of the State of Israel who demanded that wherever he went – including private parties – people had to stand on their feet, and he would get very insulted if they didn’t rise.”
Who was it?
“I’ll leave that to myself. I, by the way, will allow sitting, and my clothes will come from Israeli designers.”
