The crucial sentence

.A week to Annapolis -And no sign ofThe solemn documentTo be presented there.What is missing?One simple sentence:”I. Ehud Olmert,Commit myself toEnding the occupation,In practice – and not in words,In all the territories – andNot in some of them,Now – and notWhen the Messiah comes.That’s the whole story in a nutshell. Ad in Haaretz, November 16, … Read more

The Last Refuge

  ISRAEL IS an island in the global sea. We live in a bubble. This week I was sharply reminded of this. I was returning home from Germany. On the eve of the flight, all TV networks, from CNN and BBC to the German channels, were reporting on the events in Pakistan. In the airplane, … Read more

POLITICAL ARMY

This week, Army Intelligence announced that the chances of the Annapolis Conference are “next to nil”.Such a statement is proper for a political party, not for a military body.For 40 years now, the Israeli army fulfils an eminently political function in the Palestinian territories.No wonder that it is now the strongest political force in Israel. … Read more

Say it with Flowers

  REJOICE, REJOICE: the Foreign Minister has decided to set up a special team for dealing with the “core issues” of peace with the Palestinians. Yes, indeed. In preparation for the Annapolis meeting, the Prime Minister has put the Foreign Minister in charge of negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. You might well ask: Isn’t it … Read more

Red Herring

  By forbidding the cutting off of electricity, Attorney General Mazuz prevented Israel from arousing the anger of the entire world. But the collective punishment he didn’t stop, the ever tightening siege of the Gaza Strip. The State of Israel prevents the entry of vital goods – from fuel to baby food and everything in … Read more

12 Years Later

.More than anything, Rabin was the typical representative of my generation, the “generation of 1948” – and not by accident was this generation defined by a war. THE PRESIDENT of the Knesset invited me to take part in the special Knesset session to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. I debated … Read more

HOW TO HONOR THE MEMORY OF ITZHAK RABIN

– To show tolerance towards those who hated him?- To curse Yigal Amir by day and by night?- To continue on Rabin’s road: negotiate for peace with those whom the Palestinians have elected as their representatives? Find the right answer and you make a big contribution to the future of Israel. Ad published in Haaretz, … Read more

Don’t say 33-75 (descending)

click for the more recent ones Nr 75 Discrimination against Palestinian Israeli citizens also occurs in the policies and conditions of imprisonment. David Ben Shimol (an Israeli Jew) was convicted of the murder of one person and the wounding of tens of others, after he had fired a LAU missile at a bus full of … Read more

Milk powder, toys and cancer patients…

.The cutting of electricity and fuel – further exacerbation of the cruel siege on Gaza.Barak’s decision comes on top of the denial of milk powder to babies, toys to children and vital medical treatment to cancer patients.The shooting of quassams cannot be a reason for denial of human rights – ceasefire can and should be … Read more