JERUSALEM, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Sworn in as the new United States Ambassador to Israel on Friday, Dan Shapiro is expected, as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton put it, to help the Obama administration "write a new chapter in the enduring partnership between the United States and Israel."
Shapiro, who served as the senior director for the Middle East and North Africa of the U.S. National Security Council, the advisor to the former U.S. special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell, and Barack Obama's advisor on the Middle East and Jewish community relations during his presidential campaign, called his new post "a calling and a passion" at the swear-in ceremony, adding that the position involves expanding the U.S.-Israeli military and business ties as well as defending Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state.
Israel is often called the most important ally of the U.S. in the Middle East. Nevertheless, the two countries' relations have at times been strained, which was the case in May when Obama proposed in a foreign policy speech that the cease-fire lines existing between Israel and its Arab neighbors prior to the 1967 war should be used as the baseline for the negotiations on the borders of a future Palestinian state.
During a meeting with Obama after the speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his displeasure with the idea, leading to speculation that the two were heading for a serious fallout.
Israeli analysts who spoke to Xinhua described Shapiro as a likable and knowledgeable person with good connections on both sides. But some experts doubted the need for an ambassador in the technologically advanced times and described the position as a diplomatic relic of times gone by.
BALANCING DEMANDS
Daniel Diker, the secretary general of the World Jewish Congress, described Shapiro as "a very nice guy" and praised his insight on Israel's position in the region.
"He has been dealing with the Middle East for a long time and he is knowable about all the strategic and tactical issues that surround this conflict and the region in general," Diker said.
Diker, also a foreign policy fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, argued that Shapiro's time as an advisor to Mitchell shouldn't be held against the new ambassador.
Mitchell resigned in May after serving what has often been described as two unsuccessful years as Obama's broker in the negations between Israel and the Palestinians.
"Shapiro has always understood Israel's vital interests and its legal and diplomatic rights, and he has been sensitive to these demands in ways that go beyond where others have spoken out," Diker said.
A major challenge for Shapiro will be to balance the Palestinian demands on the U.S. regarding Israel, Diker argued.
Many Israelis, especially the right-wing, argue that the Palestinian leadership is trying to circumvent negotiations with Israel by asking the U.S. to force Israel to make concessions, instead of engaging in direct negotiations with Israel.
A CEREMONIAL POST
According to Dr. Mark Heller of Tel Aviv University, the importance of an ambassador has diminished as communication technologies have advanced.
The position of ambassador was first established almost 800 years ago. In the age before telephone and global communications, an ambassador served as the representative of his country in foreign lands.
"When relations between governments are so close and when direct communications are so easy, ambassadors are not as critical as they were half a century ago," Heller said.
However, the post sometimes serves as a token of appreciation to long-serving diplomats, and Shapiro could have been given the post as such, Heller said.
"In high-profile positions, heads of government or foreign ministers always appoint people in whom they have confidence and with whom they can communicate directly," Heller said.
The administration in Washington will to some extent rely on Shapiro's political reporting and his understanding of the situation based on his contact with people in Israel, according to Heller.
"But in terms of getting communication between the two heads of government or foreign ministers, ambassadors are not really central anymore," Heller argued.
NETWORKING
Dr. Jonathan Rynhold of Bar-Ilan University doesn't agree with Heller. He told Xinhua that there is a wide range of tasks that an ambassador can perform in his role as a representative for his government.
"If the ambassador has the ear of the president and he is seen as a representative of the president, then he will be taken very seriously in Israel and have a major role," Rynhold said.
"Also, if he has developed a good relation with the Israeli leadership, that will also help his credibility and determine how seriously he is taken in Washington," Rynhold added.
However, Rynhold argued that it won't fall on Shapiro's shoulder to smooth out the relations between Obama and Netanyahu following Obama's Middle East policy speech in May.
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