Gillon implied that he believes Israel and the United States, with the backing of the West and specifically NATO, will at some point take military action to stop Iran from gaining nuclear arms capability.
“No one believes sanctions can stop it,” he added.  Gillon was speaking to members of the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University. The last time he was in Montreal,
he was a member of the security detail attached to the Israeli team at the 1976 Olympics.

The Islamic world has “a different way of thinking” from the West. “It may seem unreasonable to us. We are more interested in economic success and profits, but for them ideology is the most important thing, and they are willing to pay a very
high price.”

Gillon was critical of the cuts the Israeli government has made to higher education, calling it short-sighted. Yitzhak Rabin, a former general, was the last Israeli prime minister to understand the necessity of spending on education, even if
security was making ever greater demands on the national budget.

Since then Israel has changed governments almost every couple of years, and the leaders see “no immediate political pay off ” in putting money into universities, he said. “This is likely to change only if our governments last longer.” “I believe the only way Israel can exist in the Middle East is by having an advantage over its neighbours,” he said. And that does not mean only military superiority, but its brain power. “Not investing in that is a big mistake.” The result is that talented academics continue to leave the country, generally for the better universities in the U.S., he said.

Gillon said Israeli universities can’t compete with what is offered abroad. For example, Hebrew University has only one electronic microscope, and it operates 24 hours a day to meet the demand. They cost about $750,000.

While Hebrew University continues to depend heavily on its supporters abroad, Gillon said Israeli philanthropists are increasingly donating. Currently, 20 per cent of the university’s revenue comes from private donors in Israel, up from six
per cent, he said.

In response to a question, Gillon said Republican John McCain would likely be the most favourable president toward Israel, but Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton is also “a great friend.” As for Democrat Barack Obama, Gillon said, “I really don’t know. I don’t have enough information about him. I’m surprised he is so popular.”
Gillon, who was named a vice-president of Hebrew University last June, is no stranger to controversy.

He recalled the huge outrage his appointment as ambassador to Denmark in August 2001 provoked, with hundreds who disagreed with his hardline views about the Arab world and the threat to the West of Islamic terrorism demonstrating on
the streets of Copenhagen. The demonstrators tried to stop his procession to the
palace to present his credentials to the queen. The day was Sept. 11, 2001. Shortly after the ceremony, at about 4 p.m. local time, Denmark learned of the attacks on the World Trade Center.  “The day after I was the most popular analyst in Denmark,” Gillon said. “Suddenly, the Danes understood my warnings.”