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.

Shukran, Israel

If Islamist movements come to power all over the region, they should express their debt of gratitude to their bête noire, Israel. Without the active or passive help of successive Israeli governments, they may not have been able to realize their dreams. That is true in Gaza, in Beirut, in Cairo, and even in Tehran. … Continue reading “Shukran, Israel”

The Duke of Nablus

The name of Munib al-Masri has recently come up as a possible candidate for prime minister of a Palestinian national unity government. Not being a member of either Fatah or Hamas, he is acceptable to both. Al-Masri himself denies any such ambition. He says that he is too old (77) and that a younger generation … Continue reading “The Duke of Nablus”

With Friends Like Gingrich, Does Israel Need Enemies?

My God, what a bizarre lot these Republican aspirants for the US presidency are! What a sorry bunch of ignoramuses and downright crazies. Or, at best, what a bunch of cheats and cynics! (With the possible exception of the good doctor Ron Paul). Is this the best a great and proud nation can produce? How … Continue reading “With Friends Like Gingrich, Does Israel Need Enemies?”

A Day in November

This Tuesday will be the 64th anniversary of a fateful day for our lives. A day in November. A day to remember. On Nov. 29, 1947, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted, by 33 votes against 13 (with 10 abstentions), the Palestine Partition Plan. This event has become a subject of endless debates, … Continue reading “A Day in November”

Weimar Revisited

“You and your Weimar!” a friend of mine once exclaimed in exasperation. “Just because you experienced the collapse of the Weimar Republic as a child, you see Weimar behind every corner.” The accusation was not unjustified. In 1960, during the Eichmann trial, I wrote a book about the fall of the German Republic. Its last … Continue reading “Weimar Revisited”

Spilling the Beans About Bibi

“You can lie to all of the people some of the time, and to some of the people all of the time, but you cannot lie to all of the people all of the time.” This slightly altered quotation from Abraham Lincoln has yet to be absorbed by Benjamin Netanyahu. He thinks it doesn’t apply … Continue reading “Spilling the Beans About Bibi”

Everybody’s Son

The most sensible — I almost wrote “the only sensible” — sentence uttered this week sprang from the lips of a 5-year-old boy. After the prisoner swap, one of those smart-aleck TV reporters asked him: “Why did we release 1,027 Arabs for one Israeli soldier?” He expected, of course, the usual answer: because one Israeli … Continue reading “Everybody’s Son”