Tommy's Granny

[Violet_Crumble]

By Uri Avnery
01 June, 2004
Gush Shalom

Sometimes a person "buys his world in one moment," as the ancient Hebrew saying goes. This was done by the Minister of Justice, Yosef ("Tommy") Lapid, when he uttered the words: "This old woman reminds me of my grandmother!"


This old woman, an inhabitant of the Rafah refugee camp whose house was demolished by the Israeli army, was immortalized by the camera while rummaging through the ruins of her home in a desperate search for her medicines. Two days later, journalists found her at the same place, still looking for her medicines under the debris.


Tommy's grandmother perished in the Holocaust. He himself was born in a Hungarian region in the north of Yugoslavia and survived the Holocaust in the Budapest ghetto. When he mentioned "my grandmother", it was quite clear that he meant a victim of the Holocaust.


The phrase kicked up a storm. It may well have been the straw that broke the camel's back and induced the government to call a halt to the ongoing atrocity in Rafah.


Of course, the situation was ripe for that. The pictures of the killing and destruction in the poor town filled the TV news bulletins and newspaper pages throughout the world. The Al Jazeera TV station showed them several times every hour to tens of millions in the Arab world. In the Western world, too, the screens were full of them. The accumulated impact was terrible - the Israeli army was shown as an inhuman machine that destroyed the lives of hundreds of families without even noticing. The picture of a small boy struggling with a huge suitcase in an attempt to save some of his family's belongings says more than a thousands words of the official army liar.


http://www.countercurrents.org/pa-avnery010604.htm

[geek tragedy]

1. I don't think it was an attempt at lofty rhetoric

as much as it was a Jew looking at an old Palestinian woman and seeing a human being in great suffering and sadness. This kind of empathy is sorely lacking on both sides of that conflict.

[Gimel]

2. Attention was gained

Attention, perhaps world wide notice of the statement was attained. I'm not sure it was totally accepted in the light that he said it, as you said so well, a human reaction.

It was then promptly made into an equation of Gaza with the Holocaust for propaganda.

[Vladimir]

3. If I am being honest

my first reaction was that Mr. Lapid has lost his nerve.

[Gimel]

4. appears not to have

Mr. Lapid has continued his high-profile appearances as a cabinet member. He has enough status to take the heat for this.

He has been involved in initiating a compromise plan for withdrawal. As a Shinui party member, he's considered liberal.

[Vladimir]

7. Well I am sure

no small amount of pressure was brought to bear on him afterwards... but this outburst did smack to me of someone who is at least somewhat scared that

a) he is losing the fight

or

b) that the price for victory isn't worth paying

[The Magistrate]

5. That, Sir, Can Be A Beginning Of Wisdom

In the final analysis, the only cure, and the one sound basis for ethical behavior, is the cultivation of simple empathy....

Once the Master said: "The method of benevolence is to judge what is afar by what is near."

[Vladimir]

6. Perhaps

It strikes me that as a member of the cabinet, Mr. Lapid knew what was coming, and should have known how it would look since there have been plenty of prior examples of similar actions. Which is why I am reluctant to accept his comments at face value - but you are right, it may be that he has finally found some empathy. Maybe this was the final straw... we will find out soon enough anyhow.

[The Magistrate]

8. True Enough, Sir

He is not a Likudist, after all. Ms. Gimel is correct about the nature of the Shinui Party: it is a determinedly secular "militant middle" sort of organization, that strikes me as one of the bright spots for a possible realignment of Israeli politics in future. It is only recently formed, and its acceptance of a portifolio in Sharon's coalition strikes me more as a strategic move to establish itself as a credible force in being than an indication of any affinity for the Likud.

[bemildred]

9. Kick.

Wisdom begins with seeing clearly, with no filters.