A History of Idiocy
I am furious. And I have good reason to be furious. I was going to write an article about a subject I have been thinking about for a long time. This week I opened the New York Times and lo, my yet unwritten article appeared on its opinion pages in full, argument after argument. How […]
Quiet in Jerusalem
Nir Barkat, Mayor of”United Jerusalem”,Asked the armyTo blow upHigh rise buildingsAnd completely razeA Palestinian neighborhood.He deserves theIsrael Prize for Pyromania. Published in Haaretz, 17/11/17
Two Meetings
DURING THE last few days, I met with two old friends: Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin. Well, the term “friends” may not quite be appropriate. Certainly, Arafat called me “my friend” in a recorded message for my 70th birthday, but Rabin called nobody “friend”. That was not his character. I am glad that I knew […]
A Kumbayah Moment or a Political Rally?
A Kumbayah Moment or a Political Rally? Fascinating and troubling, the public debate leading up to tomorrow’s memorial ceremony marking 22 years since the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. The media are full of this discussion. Commanders for Israel’s Security and Darkenu, (“Our path”), who assumed responsibility for this year’s rally, state clearly in their websites’ […]
Celebrating and not implementing
The Balfour DeclarationDoes not refer toThe national rights of“Non-Jewish communities”,Only to civil andreligious rights.But even theseThe state of IsraelDenies to the Palestinians. Published in Haaretz, 10/11/17
Who is Afraid of the Iranian Bomb?
I HATE self-evident truths. Ideals may be self-evident. Political statements are not. When I hear about a self-evident political truth, I immediately doubt it. The most self-evident political truth at this moment concerns Iran. Iran is our deadly enemy. Iran wants to destroy us. We must destroy its capabilities first. Since this is self-evident, the […]
East Jerusalem: systematic abuse of minors
A new report, Unprotected: The Detention of Palestinian Teenagers in East Jerusalem, published today (25 October 2017) by human rights NGOs HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual and B’Tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories reveals broad, systemic abuse by Israeli authorities – including the police, the […]
On the square
Yitzhak RabinPaid with his lifeFor seeking peaceWith the Palestinians.Tomorrow night we willHonor his memoryOn the square whereHe was murdered. Stickers showing the Rabin-Arafat handshake will besent on demand. Write to info@gush-shalom.org withthe title “Rabin stickers” and give a postal address andthe number of required stickers. Published in Haaretz, 03/11/17
Pickled Cucumbers
HALLELUJAH! AT long last I have found a point on which I agree with Binyamin Netanyahu. Really! This Monday the Knesset reassembled for its winter session after a long (and blessed) vacation. On such occasions, the president of the state and the prime minister are invited to speak. The speeches are supposed to be festive, […]
Who is afraid of American Jews?
Netanyahu will notAttend the conference ofAmerican Jews.For the first time,An Israeli PMIs afraid ofBeing greeted thereWith hissing and booing. Published in Haaretz, 27/10/17