Despair is taking hold of great parts of the Israeli public. Its main cause is not just the coming to power of Ariel Sharon, the man of blood, but the absenceof any ray of hope. The Labor party has become a collaborator of Sharon’s; its leaders, Simon Peres and theothers, have become his most efficient … Read more
I am stuck in a huge traffic jam at the entrance to Jerusalem, and I am furious. Around me I seehundreds of cars stuck at the only entrance to the “eternal capital”, as they are every day, andas they are at the entrance to Tel-Aviv and Haifa. My thoughts wander to the dozens ofwonderful, modern, … Read more
Venice is sinking. The jewel of mankind, with its unparalleled beauty, is in the process ofvanishing. Scientists are already calculating when the waves will finally close over thecity. But the sinking is so slow that the inhabitants do not notice it. Israel is in a similar situation. Our Israel, the state that we have created … Read more
I met Yassir Arafat for the first time in besieged Beirut, on July 3, 1982. The city wascompletely surrounded, hundreds of Mossad and Phalangist agents were searching for Arafatin order to kill him. Few believed that he would come out alive. At the beginning of that war he could have left the city easily. Everyone … Read more
P eople in Israel and abroad, who believe that I am somewhat of an expert on Sharon, have asked mehow to deal with him. Here are some practical suggestions: 1. Don’t underrate him . That is the first rule. Over the course of time, many have made thatmistake and paid for it dearly. That is … Read more
“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” asked the prophet Amos (3,3), and perhaps heforesaw the alliance of the two power-hungry generals. Agreed – since when? I believe that there was an understanding between them right from thebeginning of the election campaign, in which they accused each other of leading towardsnational catastrophe. Two weeks … Read more
Peace did not fail. It’s the man who falsely talked about peace who failed. Here are the facts: Only 59.1% of the citizens who had the right to vote did actually vote. Out of these, Ariel Sharon received 62.38% of the valid votes. Meaning: Altogether Sharon received the votes of only 35%, just a little … Read more
In “Gone with the Wind”, the greatest movie of all times, there is a memorable scene: theNorthern army has already overrun most of the South. Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) is bringingScarlet O’Hara home through the enemy lines. Suddenly he stops, gets down from the cart andtells her that he is going to join the beaten … Read more
On Sunday evening, a public debate on the subject “Blank Vote – Yes or No?” will take place atTel-Aviv’s Eretz Israel museum. The question is not a rhetorical one. Ten days before theelections, there are still hundreds of thousands of citizens, both Jewish and Arab, who aretormented by this question, afflicted by doubt, vexed and … Read more
I am in turmoil, more so than for a long, long time. All my life I have opposed the blank ballot. I have written articles against it,much more convincing than the current propaganda cliches of Yossi Sarid.the Ehud Barak slip, my hand will tremble and refuse. I know all the arguments. A blank ballot is … Read more