Colin ShindlerYitzhak Rabin’s coalition government, to which he put the finishing touches this week, has been described as the most “dovish” (that is, pro-peace) in Israel’s history. While he is leaving positions open for more hardline parties to join at a later date, Rabin understands that it is important to carry forward the momentum created … Read more
Next Tuesday’s election in Israel is wide open, according to the pollsters. The latest polls predict 59 seats for a Labour-led coalition, as opposed to 61 for Shamir’s alliance of the right and the religious. But while Labour will probably emerge as the largest party, there are uneasy mutterings in Labour circles about the … Read more
A reception at London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies in May launched the Council of Jewish-Palestinian Dialogue. The new group grew out of a plethora of dialogue groups which have emerged during the last few years following the PLO’s movement towards a political solution based on a two-state formula. Yet even before these … Read more
What do Disneyland and Israel have in common? Both have a bad record when it comes to disposal of toxic waste. Despite its benevolent image, Disneyland was fined a considerable sum a couple of years ago by the Environmental Protection Agency. Israel produces 100,000 tons of toxic waste each year which is transported to and … Read more
“The Kotzker [rebbe] thought that the pursuit of wealth tended to demean a person. The universal passion for ever more possessions was an abomination to him. As long as it was voluntary, poverty was a preferable goal to strive for He apparently thought that it was never despicable. Poverty released a person to go his … Read more
Within a short period of time, there will be no Jewish workers in Israel. The Arabs shall be the workers, the Jews shall be the managers, inspectors, officials and policemen, and mainly secret service policemen. A state governing a hostile population of 1.5 to 2 million foreigners is bound to become a Shin Bet state, … Read more
In a country that specialises in resurrection, the second coming of Yitzhak Rabin, as leader of the Israeli Labour Party after a 15 year intermission was not unexpected. Despite his considerable political talents, Rabin’s bitter rival Shimon Peres was deemed unelectable — he failed in four elections to arrest the drift to the right and … Read more
In the end, Yitzhak Shamir could not please both the Americans and the Israeli far right. Without the support of the Moledet, Techiya and Tsomet parties, Shamir was, this week, left two seats short of a majority in the Knesset, making an election virtually inevitable. Even bribery had failed: his offer of more money for … Read more
Yitzhak Tabenkin was, together with David Ben-Gurion and Berl Katznelson, one of three who made the Labour-Zionist revolution in Palestine during the pre-State struggles in the inter-war period. Indeed, Ben-Gurion was said to have joined Poale Zion at Tabenkin’s home in Warsaw at the turn of the century. All were highly influenced by the Marxist-Zionist … Read more
Communism was deemed by its adherents to be eternal. Few could contemplate its decay and a final crumbling into the dust of ages. Its meaning was its existence. Most who lived under Communism accepted their lot, avoided trouble and got on with living their lives as best they could. Few possessed the courage and foresight … Read more