Israeli consulate settles in at Westmount Square

The Israeli consul moved from its central downtown location on René Lévesque Boulevard in the last week of July, and is now the third country — alongside Brazil and Spain — to have diplomatic offices in the 40-year old building.

For Peter Subissati, Public Affairs Officer for the Consulate General, the move has been beneficial and trouble-free. "Other than changing the letterhead on our stationary, there were no real major hurdles," he said, adding that the new location provides more floor space for less rent. "The decision to relocate was made at the highest level by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he said. "The consulate's 20-year lease in the CIBC building came to an end and the Ministry went shopping for new office space elsewhere in the general vicinity."

Recent news reports on the move have tended to focus on the weekly protests held by the Palestinian and Jewish Unity group at the consulate's old downtown location. Subissati, however, has made it clear that the demonstrations did not play a role in the decision to move, and that they also had little effect on the consulate's work. "Their protests did not affect the day-to-day operations of the Consulate, and often groups would demonstrate on weekends, when we were closed. In the seven years since the protests began, there was never an incident, and the Consulate never interfered with their democratic right to demonstrate," he said, adding that the available space in Westmount Square made the decision a no-brainer. "To my knowledge, Westmount Square was the only building considered in the area. It's a prestigious landmark offering modern facilities and amenities. Who could ask for anything better?"