Uri Avnery: 15.7.00 The Suicide of the Knesset Experts on wildlife report the odd behavior of the lemmings, who commit collective suicide.When on the march, they do not stop at the edge of the sea but march straight on into the water anddrown. Lately, many members of the Knesset behave similarly. A new political system … Read more
Uri Avnery: 8.7.00 If Ehud Barak will come back from Camp David without an agreement, he can go straight home.There is no sense in his returning to his office in Jerusalem. He repeats constantly that he was elected “by the people” in order to make peace. Indeed, thatwas the one task that was on the … Read more
Uri Avnery: Uri Avnery: 3.7.00 “We shall use tanks and attack helicopters against the Palestinians,” declared the Chief ofStaff of the Israeli army. “Remember Karameh, remember Beirut, remember the Intifada,” retorted Yasser Arafat. (Karameh is a small town east of the Jordan river. Some months after the 6-days war, in which allthe Arab armies were … Read more
In every lunatic asylum, there is a closed ward for the dangerously ill, those liable to killthemselves or others. If the crazy structure of Israeli politics had such a ward, the leadersof the Meretz party, who have decided to leave the government, should be sent there. My e-mail has received many queries from anxious foreign … Read more
Translation of the unabridged version of an article by Uri Avnery, written for Ma’ariv It seems that the times of the Messiah have arrived. Amos Oz, the guru of Meretz, is embracingAriel Sharon, the Count of Sabra and Shatila. MK Ya’el Dayan, from the left, is cooperatingwith MK Benni Elon, the serial hooligan of the … Read more
“I love humanity, it’s people I can’t stand!” declares the hero of an American comic strip. Theattitude of a part of the Israeli left is rather similar: “I love the Palestinians, it’s ArafatI cant stand.” Some of the most important commentators, defined as “leftist”, are joining forces in a wildattack on the Palestinian president. It’s … Read more
Like Rabin, Ehud Barak is a man of logic. And, like Rabin, he lacks political intuition. UnlikeClinton, unlike Begin. Immediately after the death of Assad, he could have appeared live on television, paid hisrespects to a great opponent, in spite of differences of opinion and conveyed his good wishesto his successor. That would not have … Read more
“A religious discotheque” – thus did the late Professor Yeshayahu Leibovitz describe theWestern Wall. A pious Jews, he considered the ceremonies there pagan rites. Therefore I don’t get excited about the now storm raging around the wall. The orthodox want toturn it into a synagogue? Let them. They want to enact a law that will … Read more
The pictures from the Fatimah gate in Metullah was reminiscent of one of the most dramaticpictures of the 20 th crentury: the flight of the Americans from Vietnam. The last Americansand their local mercenaries crowded on the roof their embassy in Saigon, fighting in despairfor a seat in the last helicopters. A kind of aerial … Read more
Ehud Barak declares that he will not transfer Abu-Dis to the Palestinian Authority, unlessArafat submits an investigation report on the events of last Sunday, when shooting eruptedall over the West Bank. I don’t know if the Authority will indeed submit a report as requested. So, in order to save thepeace process, I volunteer to submit … Read more