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sense of humor and a wonderful gift for hesitation. I know this may
not be regarded as a blessing for a politician, but I believe only
politicians who are capable of hesitating.
ASG:
Did you know Pinchas Lavon, too?
AO:
I knew him very well. In fact, he was one of the founding
members of my own kibbutz, of Hulda. When I was there , he was
not a member anymore, but he still held the position of honorary
kibbutznik in Hulda. He used to come for weekends, and he had a
strong constituency in the kibbutz. It was Lavon who inaugurated
me into political curiosity, if not political activity.
ASG:
What long-term trends do you see on the Israeli political
scene?
AO:
It's hard to be a prophet, coming from the land of the prophets;
the competition is too harsh . But I'd say basically that Israel is on its
way toward becoming a very Mediterranean society in many ways,
and in this, I believe, we have the best prospect for future peace with
the Arab world. The fact that Israel is less and less alien to the Middle
East in some ways holds a certain promise in the long run , though
not necessarily in the immediate future.
ASG:
In your 1984 book
In the Land of Israel,
one of the most dis–
quieting things was the little note at the very end concerning the
chapter, "The Dawn," in which you interviewed Arab intellectuals,
writers for the Palestinian newspaper
Al-FaJr Al-Arabi.
Although
their position sounded fairly moderate as presented in the chapter of
your book, the note informs us , as a postscript, that afterwards they
denied many of the things they'd said to you.
AO:
This has been the story of my life with many Arab spokesmen .
Many of them in private conversation over a nice cup of coffee in
London or in Paris , speaking English to me, would say things that , if
not music to my ears, were at least reasonable and negotiable . The
very same people, addressing their own constituencies in Palestinian
refugee camps in Beirut and other places , would sometimes repeat
the next day the most savage PLO line about the need to exter–
minate Israel altogether. Over the years I have painfully learned
that what they say in Arabic to their audiences is a million times
more significant than what they might have whispered into my
peace-loving ear in private conversation.
ASG:
Why do you think they do that?
AO:
Fear. That's what they have said to me and I have no reason not
to believe them - fear of their lives .
