Uri Avnery

Uri Avnery is a longtime Israeli peace activist. Since 1948 he has advocated the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. In 1974, Uri Avnery was the first Israeli to establish contact with the PLO leadership. In 1982 he was the first Israeli ever to meet Yasser Arafat, after crossing the lines in besieged Beirut. He served three terms in the Israeli Knesset and is the founder of Gush Shalom (Peace Bloc). Visit his Web site.

Another Superfluous War

How did it start? Stupid question. Conflagrations along the Gaza Strip don’t start. They are just a continuous chain of events, each claimed to be in “retaliation” for the previous one. Action is followed by reaction, which is followed by retaliation, which is followed by… This particular event “started” with the firing from Gaza of … Continue reading “Another Superfluous War”

Of Bombs and Comics

My first reaction to Benjamin Netanyahu’s exhibition of comics at the U.N. General Assembly was shame. Shame that the supreme elected representative of my country would stoop to such a primitive rhetorical device, bordering on the childish. (One Israeli commentator suggested putting him on a rug with a lot of paper and Indian ink and … Continue reading “Of Bombs and Comics”

The Grand Default

I am sitting here writing this article 39 years to the minute from that moment when the sirens started screaming, announcing the beginning of the war. A minute before, total quiet reigned, as it does now. No traffic, no activity in the street, except a few children riding bicycles. Yom Kippur, the holiest day for … Continue reading “The Grand Default”

The March of Folly

Nothing could be scarier than the thought that this duo — Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak — is in a position to start a war, the dimensions and outcome of which are incalculable. It’s scary not only because of their ideological fixations and mental outlook, but also because of the level of their intelligence. The … Continue reading “The March of Folly”

Master of Mischief

Avigdor Lieberman has a restless nature. From time to time he has to do something, anything. As Minister of Foreign Affairs he should be doing something about, well, foreign affairs. Trouble is, Israel’s foreign affairs are managed by others. The most important sector of our foreign affairs concerns the relationship with the United States. Indeed, … Continue reading “Master of Mischief”

Talking Zionism

“He talks Zionism” used to be a very derogatory comment when I was young. It meant that some elderly functionary had come to waste our time with a boring speech consisting largely of empty phrases. That was before the foundation of the State of Israel. Since then, the term “Zionism” has been elevated to the … Continue reading “Talking Zionism”

Poisoning Arafat

For me, there was no surprise. From the very first day, I was convinced that Yasser Arafat had been poisoned by Ariel Sharon. I even wrote about it several times. It was a simple logical conclusion. First, a thorough medical examination in the French military hospital where he died did not find any cause for … Continue reading “Poisoning Arafat”