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'Uri Avnery' (, also transliterated 'Uri Avneri', born September 10, 1923 in Beckum, Germany as 'Helmut Ostermann'), is a German-born Israeli journalist, left-wing peace activist, and former Knesset member, who was originally a member of the right-wing Revisionist Zionist movement.

Contents

Biography

Strategy

Death threats

Quotes

Recent activities

Bibliography (partial list):

External links

References

Biography

Avnery made aliyah in 1933.^[1] He joined the Revisionist Zionist paramilitary group, the Irgun, at age 15. Avnery later became disenchanted with the Irgun's tactics, and left the group altogether by 1942. In a 2003 interview with journalist Jon Elmer, Avnery recounted his differences with the Irgun's core methodologies:
:'Elmer': Can you discuss your 1945 essay, ''Terrorism: the infantile disease of the Hebrew revolution''? How was it different from the disease of Palestinian terror of their current revolution for statehood?
:'Avnery': When I left the Irgun, at the age of 19, one of the reasons was that I didn't like the methods of terror applied by the Irgun at the time. When they put, that is to say we put, bombs in the Arab markets of Jaffa and Jerusalem and Haifa, and killed scores of people - men, women and children - in retaliation for similar acts by the Arabs, I didn't back this. I thought there were other methods. But it left me with a lasting understanding of what gets people to join such organizations, and I understand the Palestinians who join these [terrorist/resistance] organizations.^[2]
In the 1948 Arab-Israeli War Avnery was a fighter in the Samson's Foxes commando unit (and also wrote its anthem). Afterwards, he wrote a book about the war, called ''In the Fields of Philistia'' (, ''Bi-Sdot Pleshet'').
During the 1950s and the 1960s Avnery was, with Shalom Cohen, co-publisher and editor of the ''HaOlam HaZeh'' weekly magazine, an anti-establishment tabloid known for many sensational scoops and for featuring nudes on its back cover. The formula seemed to work, as for many years it was Israel's leading alternative-media publication.
In 1965 Avnery created a political party bearing the name of his and Cohen's magazine, This World – New Power, and was elected to the Knesset in the 1965 election. Although he retained his seat in the 1969 election, the party disintegrated and Avnery founded a new party, Meri, though it failed to win any seats in the 1973 elections. He returned to the Knesset as a member of the Left Camp of Israel after the 1977 election, but did not retain his seat in the 1981 election. He was later involved in the Progressive List for Peace.
Avnery famously met Yasser Arafat on July 3, 1982, during the "Battle of Beirut" — said to have been the first time an Israeli met personally with Arafat.^[3]
He later turned to left-wing activism and founded the Gush Shalom (, ''Peace Bloc'') movement in 1993, which he continues to lead as of 2007. He is a devout secularist and strongly opposed to the Orthodox influence in religious and political life.

Strategy

Avnery is noted for what he calls the small wheel effect, his explanation why he believes that a small, highly-motivated group like Gush Shalom can have a far greater influence on Israeli public opinion than its numbers might suggest. Avnery compared Peace Now, one of Israel's largest peace organizations, and one that is affiliated with the Meretz and Labor parties, with Gush Shalom, a significantly smaller group:
:''Not being aligned with any party, [Gush Shalom] knows that it will not become a mass movement. That is the price it has to pay. It is impossible to be popular while taking stands and carrying out actions that are contrary to the consensus. If so, how does it have an impact? How did it happen that, in the course of the years, many of its stands have been accepted by the general public ... ?''
:''We call this the "small wheel effect". A small wheel with its own drive pushes a larger wheel, which drives an even larger wheel, and so on, until it moves the center of the consensus. What we say today "Peace Now" will say tomorrow, and a large part of the public on the day after.''^[4]

Death threats

In 1975, Avnery was seriously injured in a knife attack; the attempted assassin was later officially declared insane.^[5]

In 2006, settler activist Baruch Marzel called on the Israeli military to carry out "a targeted killing" against Avnery whilst being interviewed on Channel 10.^[6][7]

Quotes

:"You can’t talk to me about terrorism, I was a terrorist."^[8]

Recent activities

★ Avnery is a contributor to the news and opinion sites ''CounterPunch'', ''Information Clearing House'' and ''LewRockwell.com''.

★ In 2002, a documentary directed by Yair Lev was made about Avnery's life entitled ''Uri Avnery: Warrior for Peace.''

Bibliography (partial list):

★ Avnery, Uri (1968): ''Israel Without Zionists: A Plea for Peace in the Middle East,'' MacMillan Co., New York, Hardbound (1st Edition in 1968; many reprints)

★ Avnery, Uri (1986): ''My Friend, the Enemy'', Zed Books; Paperback. 1986 ISBN 0862322154 Paperback; Lawrence Hill & Co, 1987 ISBN 0882082132 Hard cover; Lawrence Hill Books (1987) ISBN 0882082124

External links

★ Uri Avnery Biography

★ Uri Avnery's News Pages

★ Avnery Bio at the Israeli Knesset official site

★ Gush Shalom

★ Right Livelihood Award recipient 2001

References

1. Uri Avnery biography, Knesset website.
2. Violence is a symptom; the occupation is the disease Jon Elmer
3. Uri Avnery - Biographical Notes, Uri Avnery's website.
4. Uri Avnery, Grossman's Dilemma, GushShalom.org, November 18, 2006.
5. Uri Avnery - Biographical Notes
6. Marzel to cabinet: Kill left-wing leader
7. Gush Shalom: Incitement To Murder
8. Uri Avnery and Richard Swift, "Blunt Talk" ''New Internationalist'', issue 348, August 2002