To judge by the noises of horror that greeted the appointment of Rehavam Ze’evi to the Israeli cabinet, one would imagine that the ideas he stands for—most notably, “transfer” of Palestinians out of the Occupied Territories—were outside the bounds of decent opinion. Even the defence minister, Moshe Arens, a prominent figure on the Israeli right, … Read more
1990 was a bad year for both Israelis and Palestinians. It was the year when the dialogue had to stop. The pragmatists on both sides who had advocated partition and compromise proved unable to restrain their vociferous maximalists, who spoke the language of violence and retaliation. Deep emotions and tribal passions pushed aside the voices … Read more
The result of the Israeli General Election was as uninspiring as the lacklustre campaign which preceded it. As many expected, it did not herald the *miraculous dawning of the Age of Reason. On the contrary, despite a soothing moderation emanating from some PLO leaders, the electoral outcome confirmed that the permafrost of suspicion and fear … Read more
Tel Aviv University recently extended an invitation to Aluf Rehavam Ze’evi to lecture on “The freedom of speech and the exchange of populations”. The careful mention of “freedom of speech” in the title indicated the caution and nervousness of the organizers in broaching the long-forbidden subject of deporting the Palestinians en masse. Yet before Ze’evi, … Read more
AT A TIME when British Jews are commemorating the considerable achievements of Israel’s first forty years, some are haunted by the frozen frames of warring children and burning barricades in the Gaza slums. There is the uneasy knowledge that the most advanced military force in the Middle East is using clubs. Truly, the age of … Read more
THE most advanced military force in the Middle East is using clubs,’ remarked Dedi Zucker, an Israeli parliamentarian, recently. For many enlightened Jewish supporters of Israel, the age of innocence is over. The burning barricades and the warring youngsters in the Gaza sIums have clearly concentrated minds on the West Bank. For rears, moderate Israelis … Read more
Raising funds for Israel has always occupied a prominent if segregated role in Diaspora communities. In the United States, some $400 million dollars is allocated each year to the Jewish Agency-World Zionist Organization by the United Jewish Appeal (UJA). In recent years, there has been a slow but discernible change in aims and objectives contrasting … Read more
THE forthcoming Jewish New Year, 5748, falls appropriately between two other days of celebration—the twentieth anniversary of the Israeli victory in the Six Day War and the fortieth Yom Ha’atzmaut next summer. And indeed, in contrast to the tumultuous and divisive Begin years, the present is a sea of tranquillity. Inflation has dropped from 450 … Read more
Israel’s involvement in nuclear weaponry, whilst recognized for many years, has certainly been brought to the fore by the Vanunu affair. Yet even before Vanunu’s act of apparent treachery, a small but growing number of Israeli citizens had pressed apprehension at the intention of the government to use nuclear energy for generating electricity. Since 1981, … Read more
“War is Peace” —George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty Four THE recent expulsion of the head of Syrian intelligence in Britain is an indication of the concerted effort to thwart attacks on Jewish and Israeli institutions in this country. At the Tokyo summit, it was decided to take specific measures and to improve coordination in an … Read more