Israeli novelist Etgar Keret plays diplomatic correspondent for a day, when he covers Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with Italian President Silvio Berlusconi in Rome. His account appears in the Israeli daily Haaretz.
Etgar Keret (Photo: Alon Ron)
Keret is on a mission, spurred on by his wife, to find out what practical steps the prime minister is taking to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He is not encouraged by Netanyahu’s responses to his questions.
The story begins with the novelist packing his bags for Rome:
The flight to Rome leaves in the middle of the night. When I finish packing my small travel suitcase, my wife gives me a scrap of orange notepaper. It isn’t meant for me; it’s for the prime minister. It reads: “Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, I beg you do everything in your power to bring peace, for the sake of the future of our children and yours. Thank you, Shira.”
I find this amusing, and she is offended. “What are you thinking?” I ask her. “That Bibi is like the Western Wall? That you can stick a note into a crack in him somewhere, pray a little and he’ll bring peace?”
To read the complete story, go to: Haaretz. (Editor’s note: Two paragraphs are repeated near the end of the story.)
He is spot on. This has been on going for so long and will happen until the end of time. It’s sad to think about such an endless battle, but we have to stay engaged.. They will!