WHEN I was young, there was a joke: “There is no one like you – and that’s a good thing!” The joke applies now to Donald Trump. He is unique. That’s good, indeed. But is he unique? As a world-wide phenomenon, or at least in the Western world, is he without parallel? As a character, … Read more
IN THE tumult of the last few days, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the “unification” of Jerusalem, one of the articles stated that “even peace-activist Uri Avnery” voted in the Knesset for the unification of the city. That is true. I have tried to set out the circumstances in my autobiography, “Optimistic”. … Read more
A FEW days ago, a not so well-known Palestinian woman received an unusual honor. An article of hers was published on top of the first page of the most respected newspaper on earth: New York Times. The editors defined the writer, Diana Buttu, as: “a lawyer and a former adviser to the negotiating team of … Read more
THANK GOD for Oren Hazan. Without him, this would have been an exceedingly dull visit. Israel’s cabinet ministers were lined up in the blazing sun at the foot of the airplane stairs for the official reception of President Donald Trump. It was very hot, there was no shade, dark suits for men were obligatory. Just … Read more
WHEN I first entered the Knesset, I was shocked by the low standard of its debates. Speeches were full of clichés, platitudes and party slogans, the intellectual content was almost nil. That was 52 years ago. Among the members were David Ben-Gurion, Menachem Begin, Levi Eshkol and several others of their kind. Today, looking back, … Read more
THE PRESENT Israeli government coalition consists of 67 (out of 120) members of the Knesset. Each member wants to be elected again (and again and again). In order to be reelected, he or she must attract the attention of the public. How? The simplest way is to propose a new law. A bill so outrageous, … Read more
I REMEMBER the first few Independence Days, just after the foundation of the State of Israel. There was spontaneous jubilation, we were all out in the streets, the celebration was real. That was long ago. This years Independence Day, last Tuesday, was not a very happy affair. The holiday was subdued, even sad. Old-timers felt … Read more
A DEEP sigh of relief, coming straight from the heart. When I was 10 years old, my family fled from Nazi Germany. We were fearful that the Gestapo was after us. When we approached the French border, our fear was acute. Then our train crossed the bridge that separated Germany from France, and we heaved … Read more
I HAVE a confession to make: I like Marwan Barghouti. I have visited him at his modest Ramallah home several times. During our conversations, we discussed Israeli-Palestinian peace. Our ideas were the same: to create the State of Palestine next to the State of Israel, and to establish peace between the two states, based on … Read more
CUI BONO – “who benefits” – is the first question an experienced detective asks when investigating a crime. Since I was a detective myself for a short time in my youth, I know the meaning. Often, the first and obvious suspicion is false. You ask yourself “cui bono”, and another suspect, who you did not … Read more