I AM not the envious type, but I envy the Germans. I envy them for Angela Merkel. Merkel did something that was completely opposed to her political interests. She opened the gates of Germany to almost a million refugees, mostly Muslims, many from war-torn, bleeding Syria. No people, not even a people of Angels or … Read more
SOMETHING STRANGE happens to retired chiefs of the Israeli internal Security Service, Shin Bet. The service is by definition a central pillar of the Israeli occupation. It is admired by (Jewish) Israelis, feared by Palestinians, respected by security professionals everywhere. The occupation could not exist without it. And here is the paradox: once the chiefs … Read more
“GIVE ME generals who have luck!” Napoleon once exclaimed. Which reminds one of Goethe’s Faust, who complained that “the fools never realize how luck is connected with talent.” Luck can be a great benefactor. It can also be the cause of catastrophes. I seem to remember that one of those evil Greek gods or goddesses … Read more
THE SCENE at Ben-Gurion airport this week was rather astonishing.More then a thousand young male fans came to welcome the two Israeli Judo fighters – one female, one male – who had won a bronze medal each at the Olympic games in Rio. It was a very raucous welcome. The crowd went wild, shouted, pushed, … Read more
IF I were a cartoonist, I would draw Israel as a length of hose pipe. At one end, Jews are flowing in, encouraged by anti-Semites and a large Zionist apparatus. At the other end, young disappointed Israelis are flowing out and settling in Berlin and other places. By the way, the numbers entering and leaving … Read more
ON JUNE 28, 1914, the Austrian heir to the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, visited Sarajevo, the main town of Bosnia, then an Austrian province. Three young Serbian inhabitants of Bosnia had decided to assassinate him, in order to achieve the attachment of Bosnia to Serbia. They threw bombs at the car of the archduke. All … Read more
SO HERE we are. Either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will be our next president. “Our”? I am not a US citizen, and have no desire to be one. But I live in a world in which the USA is the sole superpower, in which every decision of the US administration has an impact on … Read more
THE State of Israel was still young, when two famous comedians produced a short act: Two Arabs stand on the seashore and curse a boat carrying new Jewish immigrants. Next, two of the new immigrants stand on the seashore and curse a boat carrying new immigrants from Poland. Next, two immigrants from Poland stand on … Read more
FOR ME, France is the land of liberty. When I was just 10 years old, I fled with my family from Nazi Germany to France, on our way to Palestine. We were afraid of being detained at the border. When our train crossed the Rhine, leaving Germany behind us and entering France, I breathed deeply. … Read more
A PALESTINIAN youngster breaks into a settlement, enters the nearest house, stabs a 13-year old girl in her sleep and is killed. Three Israeli men kidnap a 12-year old Palestinian boy at random, take him to an open field and burn him alive. Two Palestinians from a small town near Hebron enter Israel illegally, have … Read more