President Yasser Arafat, Shalom. I write these lines in order to protest against a statement that I cannot ignore. In theweekly Palestinian paper, The Jerusalem Times, there appeared on March 26 a short itemreporting that you have viewed the controversial film of Mel Gibson, “The Passion of theChrist”. Afterwards your advisor and close … Read more
Five hundred black- and white-bearded Hamas members were sitting opposite me. Venerablesheikhs and young people. On the side, some rows were occupied by women. I was standing on thestage, talking in Hebrew, with the crossed flags of Israel and Palestine on my lapel. As I have recounted already several times, it happened like this: at … Read more
A Prime Minister is waging war. The great majority of the people oppose the war. The majorityvote for the Prime Minister. Absurd? Well, that was the situation in Spain. It also applies, more or less, in Israel. Buthere the similarity ends. The Spanish people have thrown their Prime Minister out. The Israeli people go on … Read more
Arna Mer was a tempestuous and exciting woman. She was the daughter of a professor of medicine,who had already become a legend in his own lifetime. As a young woman she joined the legendaryPalmakh fighters of the underground army, and since then the Keffiyah affected by them becameher trade-mark. After the 1948 war she joined … Read more
“O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, How faithful are your leaves! You’re green not only in summertime, But also in winter when it snows, O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum…” (Old German Christmas song. “Tannenbaum” is the fir tree.) This is a well-established Israeli ritual: One takes a trivial matter, declares it to be thecenter of national life, decorates … Read more
Uri Avnery’s opening remarks at “Fence or Wall?” photo exhibition, Tel-Aviv 3.3.04 (Translated from Hebrew) Eyal Ofer’s photos speak of the suffering caused by the wall to those who are imprisoned behindit – leaving their lives in tatters. “Speak” – and not shout. “Speak” and not scream. They document reality and leave it to theviewers … Read more
“It is easier to get the Jews out of the ghetto than to get the ghetto out of the Jews!” – thisdictum of the early Zionists is now assuming a new meaning. Israel is cutting itself off fromthe world and enclosing itself in a ghetto, and not only physically. In The Hague, the proceedings of … Read more
An Israeli Voice Against The Fence “It was hell. Soldiers shot without a stop.I saw a Palestinian demonstrator get killedIn front of my eyes.” Said Israeli Peace activistsWho took part in the demonstrations in Bidou. “It was horror. Hell. The soldiers were shooting incessantly.I saw a Palestinian demonstrator get hit in the forehead and fallDown, … Read more
photo gallery “The wall around the Gaza Strip works!” I hear people say. “But do you know how many thousandsdied in Gaza in the past years, and that the army needs a whole division there? Do you want to makeof the West Bank a bigger Gaza, imprisoning two million people behind walls and barbed wire,leaving … Read more
photo gallery On the day the International Court in The Hague started itshearing on the Separation Wall, the “Israeli Coalitionagainst the Wall” raised an “Israeli Voice against theWall”. About 700 activists of Gush Shalom, Ta’ayush, Yesh Gvul,the Women’s Coalition for Peace and others, took part inthe demonstration near thePrime Minsiter’s residence, onlysome 200 meters from … Read more