IMAGINE A war breaking out between Israel and Jordan. Within two or three days the Israeli army occupies the entire territory of the Hashemite Kingdom. What will be the first act of the occupation authority?Establish a settlement in Petra? Expropriate land near Aqaba? No. The very first thing will be to decree that the territory … Read more
In his Bar Ilan SpeechNetanyahu acceptedA Palestinian state.Now the PalestiniansWant to knowWhat will beIts borders. Netanyahu’s reaction:“That provesThey don’t want peace!” Published in Ha’aretz, April 25, 2014
THE DEATH of Ron Pundak, one of the original Israeli architects of the 1993 Oslo agreement, brought that historic event back into the public eye. Gideon Levy reminded us that the Rightist rabble-rousers, in their furious onslaught on the agreement, called the initiators “Oslo criminals” – a conscious echo of one of Adolf Hitler’s main … Read more
The talks haveCollapsed,The occupationGoes on,And with itThe conflict.A family visitTo a settlementIn occupied territoryTurned intoA death trap. Published in Ha’aretz, April 18, 2014
POOR JOHN Kerry. This week he emitted a sound that was more expressive than pages of diplomatic babble. In his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations committee he explained how the actions of the Israeli government had torpedoed the “peace process”. They broke their obligation to release Palestinian prisoners, and at the same time announced … Read more
“The danger of peaceHas passed!”A senior Likud memberHappily declared,According to the media.Netanyahu has won.More such victories,And we are lost. Published in Ha’aretz, April 11, 2014
THERE IS nothing better than a scandal every week. A juicy scandal excites people, engages the media, takes our minds off matters like war and peace, occupation and apartheid. Like panem et circenses (bread and entertainment) in ancient Rome. This week we had several scandals to occupy us. Ehud Olmert, a former prime minister, was … Read more
The Israelis waitFor the releaseOf Pollard.The PalestiniansExpectMarwan Barghouti.In order to moveTowards peace,Both aspirationsMust be addressed. Published in Ha’aretz, April 4, 2014
NEW ZEALAND HAS decided to change its flag. This was only briefly mentioned in the media here. But it is a significant example for us. The old flag is based on the British one, the Union Jack, which signifies the union of England, Scotland and Ireland. The three different crosses are integrated in an intricate … Read more
“The Palestinian appealTo the Human Rights CouncilUndermines trustAnd endangers the negotiations!”Says Foreign Minister Lieberman.Not soThe killing of threePalestinians in Jenin.Nor settlement extension.Nor shooting at fishermenOff the Gaza coast. Published in Ha’aretz, March 28, 2014