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After I retire, I have my own vision, which is not connected to the state of Israel. It's about me, living near the sea, and maybe writing something about the past.

I have one identity, and that's Israeli and Jewish. I don't view myself as an American citizen.

I definitely have a strong sense of my Jewish and Israeli identity. I did my two-year military service; I was brought up in a very Jewish, Israeli family environment, so of course my heritage is very important to me.

My goal is to embrace the people, the 'natural resources' of Israel, and to build businesses with the creative Israelis.

I've always been interested in how fast-moving our identity is and that I've never been able to pin down who I truly am. That inspires me to write, because I feel like that cements me a bit, in that I find my identity in being an artist.

On another level, I want to mention that I have a strong Jewish identity and - over the years - have been involved in several Jewish projects, such as the establishment of a strong program of Judaic Studies at the University of California in San Diego.

I suppose my Iranian identity is one of the driving forces for being a writer: I want to set the record straight about who I really am.

Am I an Israeli? That's a good question.

I want people to have a good impression of Israel. I don't feel like I'm an ambassador for my country, but I do talk about Israel a lot - I enjoy telling people about where I come from and my religion.