How do you predict future events related to the war in Ukraine, in Israel? – When the war in Ukraine began, I immediately said that the war must be stopped and negotiations must begin. Two years will have passed in a moment. Tragedies have occurred in the lives of many millions of people, many have lost their loved ones. It doesn’t seem to me that Ukraine will win this year. The world needs to make every effort to stop the war and sit down at the negotiating table. It seems to me that an ultimatum approach will not yield a good result. Of course, I understand the Ukrainians that they want to liberate the occupied territories, that goes without saying. Ukrainians must defend themselves, because they are victims of aggression. The situation with Israel is completely different. In 1947, there was a decision to establish two states – Israel and Palestine. There is no other option than to establish a Palestinian state and then the state is responsible for ensuring that there are no terrorists on their territory who attack the neighboring state of Israel. It is clear that Israel has a duty to protect its country and its citizens. [..] In any case, the victims of war are always the civilians. It is a great tragedy. But it is understandable that Israel must defeat Hamas. This can only be done physically. I do not see how, without entering this territory, Israel can successfully fight the terrorists in Hamas. On the other hand, if it enters, the population is so dense that, unfortunately, the number of victims among the civilian population is enormous and the humanitarian catastrophe is simply grandiose. Formally, the territory is Israeli, but there is a mandate to govern there, and I think that Israel will take it all under its real control and, of course, will not allow anyone to be elected as the bearers of local power in Hamas. If I were in their place, I would do exactly the same - sorry, but I also do not see how, without physically defeating the militants in Hamas, you can ensure peace for Israel. But anyway - 10, 20 years will pass, and something similar will happen. The creation of a Palestinian state is a task that Israel and the United States must deal with. It essentially depends on these two countries. Could this war in Israel also affect Latvia and has the Latvian government joined this issue? – No, there are players of a different caliber there. Many countries are indirectly participating in it. The first task is to keep the war from going beyond the current conflict zone. I am sure that it will be dealt with. Unless, of course, someone has another goal – the exact opposite, to make the war much wider, and then there is a chance to defeat potential opponents, such as Iran. Someone may also have such a scenario in their project. I simply do not know, but it would be a bad scenario. Latvia is not participating in this process in any way, we can express our condolences for the mass death of civilians. That is where Latvia's place and role in this story ends. The interview took place on November 16, 2023.