IN 1975, I was stabbed in the chest at the door of my apartment. The assassin missed my heart by millimeters. He was caught by my female neighbors and arrested. It appeared he had no political motives – he was upset because I had planted listening devices in his head. While in hospital, I got … Read more
I LIKE the President of the State of Israel, Reuven (“Rubi”) Rivlin. I like him very much. This may seem a bit strange, since he is a man of the Right. He is a member of the Likud party. He believes in what is called in Hebrew “the whole of the Land of Israel”. However, … Read more
IT SEEMS that everything possible has already been said, written, proclaimed, asserted and denied about the incident that is rocking Israel.Everything except the main point. THE INCIDENT revolves around “the Soldier of Hebron”. Military censorship does not allow him to be called by his name. He may be called “Soldier A”. It happened in the … Read more
ONE OF the most famous lines in German poetry is “Don’t greet me under the lime trees.”The Jewish-German poet Heinrich Heine asks his sweetheart not to embarass him in public by greeting him in the main street of Berlin, which is called “Unter den Linden” (“Under the Lime Trees”). Israel is in the position of … Read more
SUDDENLY I remembered where I had seen it before.The same kind of face. The same chin thrust forward, to produce an impression of force and determination.The same way of speaking. One sentence and then a pause, waiting for the mob to shout approval.The same combination of monster and clown. Yes. Unmistakable. I saw it in … Read more
SO IS Hezbollah a terrorist organization?Of course not.So why has the Arab League decided that they are?Because most of the league’s member states are Sunni Muslims, while Hezbollah is a Shiite organization supporting Shiite Iran and Alawite (quasi-Shiite) Bashar al-Assad in Syria.So were Israel’s Arab parties right when they condemned the league’s resolution?Right, yes. Wise, … Read more
HELP! I am walking into a minefield. I can’t help myself. The minefield has a name: BDS – boycott, divestment, sanctions. I am often asked about my attitude towards this international movement, which was started by Palestinian activists and has spread like wildfire throughout the world. The Israeli government now considers this movement a major … Read more
A FARMER comes to the big town for the first time. He visits the zoo and stands for hours transfixed before the cage of the kangaroo.”There is no such animal!” he keeps exclaiming. I must confess that I felt the same when I saw Donald Trump on TV for the first time and heard that … Read more
HE APPEARED out of nowhere. Literally. The Israeli Police needed a new commander. The last one had come to the end of his term of office, several senior officers had been accused of molesting their female subordinates, one had committed suicide after being accused of corruption. So somebody from outside was indicated. When Binyamin Netanyahu … Read more
RIGHT AFTER the foundation of Israel, God appeared to David Ben-Gurion and told him: “You have done good by my people. Utter a wish and I shall grant it!” “I wish that Israel shall be Jewish, democratic and encompass all the country between the Mediterranean and the Jordan,” Ben-Gurion replied. “That is too much even … Read more