On Gaza

Also interesting to meditate on plus ça change… is Albert Einstein’s 1948 letter to the New York Times, (co-signed by the likes of Hanah Arendt, Stefan Wolfe and others) on the occasion of the visit of the New Palestine Party’s Menachim Begin. You can read it here.

And here is the letter a former Greek Foreign Minister addressed to the Israeli Embassy, returning 3 bottles of wine he had been sent for the New Year (from his personal site):

Dear Mr. Ambassador,
Thank you for the 3 bottles of wine that you sent me as season’s greetings. I wish to you, your family and everybody in the Embassy a happy new year. Good health and progress to you all.
Unhappily I noticed that the wine you have sent me has been produced in the Golan Heights. I have been taught since I was very young not to steel and not to accept products of theft. So I can not possibly accept this gift and I must return it back to you.
As you know, your country occupies illegally the Golan Heights who belong to Syria, according to the International Law and numerous decisions of the International Community.
I take the opportunity to express my hope that Israel will find security into its internationally recognized borders and the terrorist activities against Israel territory by Hamas or anybody else will be contained and made impossible, but I also hope that your government will cease practicing the policy of collective punishment which was applied on a mass scale by Hitler and his armies.
Actions such as those of these days of the Israel military in Gaza remind the greek people holocausts such as in Kalavrita or Doxato or Distomo and certainly in the ghetto of Warsaw.
With these thoughts allow me to express to you my best wishes for you, the Israeli people and all the people of our region of the world.

http://www.pangalos.gr/