Lt. Col. Osnat Mardor, head of public relations for the Israel Defense Force, said here Monday that she came to the United States to encourage American Jews to continue travelling to Israel and not let Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi be their “travel agent.”
Mardor, a 17 year IDF career officer, said in an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that her message to American Jews is “don’t raise your hands,” don’t surrender to the fear of terrorism.
News reports in Israel speak of a growing problem in the economy because of the drop-off of American Jewish tourists to Israel, Mardor said. The drop in tourism became more evident with the onset of summer, usually the prime time for tours and trips to Israel.
Mardor attributed the drop-off to a fear of flying because of recent terrorist acts. But, she said, the timely discovery of a bomb in the luggage of a woman about to board an EI AI plane in London shows that EI AI is still the safest airline.
“You can’t stop enjoying your life because of this threat,” Mardor said. Israel has lived with the problems of terrorism for years and Israelis continue to go shopping, to the beach and live normal lives.
ASSAD GREATEST SECURITY THREAT
Mardor assessed the security situation in Israel today from the point of view of a ranking IDF officier. The greatest security threat today comes from Syrian President Hafez Assad and the military buildup in Syria, she said.
“We must keep our eyes open all the time–maintain our army efficiently and develop unique weapons systems,” she said. For this reason, Israel needs to build the Lavi jet fighter despite American misgivings about the project, Mardor said.
During her 17-year military career, Mardor worked in intelligence and served as secretary to the Chief of Staff of the Army before joining the public relations department five years ago.
While serving as secretary to Chief of Staff David Elazar during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Mardor remembered meeting another high-ranking woman, former Premier Golda Meir.
Mardor and Elazar escorted Meir and then Defense Minister Moshe Dayan by helicopter through parts of Egypt under Israeli occupation. “It was a special experience. She was a great lady,” Mardor said. “I hope that soon we’ll have a woman in the Cabinet again.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
