Freies Politikforum für Demokraten und Anarchisten

palestina libera · Beiträge: 1665

The obituaries for Shimon Peres have already appeared, no doubt prepared in advance as the news of his hospitalization reached the media.

The verdict on his life is very clear and was already pronounced by US President Barack Obama: Peres was a man who changed the course of human history in his relentless search for peace in the Middle East.

My guess is that very few of the obituaries will examine Peres’ life and activities from the perspective of the victims of Zionism and Israel.

He occupied many positions in politics that had immense impact on the Palestinians wherever they are. He was director general of the Israeli defense ministry, minister of defense, minister for development of the Galilee and the Negev (Naqab), prime minister and president.

In all these roles, the decisions he took and the policies he pursued contributed to the destruction of the Palestinian people and did nothing to advance the cause of peace and reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis.
https://electronicintifada.net/content/shimon-peres-perspective-his-victims/18096

Shimon Peres, as he was

“After death, [they were] holy persons, we will say,” goes a Jewish motto on the outpouring of praise people enjoy only after death.

I will not join those who are transforming former Israeli president Shimon Peres into a great man, almost a saint, upon news of his passing today.

Peres was described as “a tireless subversive” by Yitzhak Rabin, to which we can easily add “serial traitor.” Peres even betrayed his patron David Ben Gurion, with whom he established the Rafi political party only to abandon it once he realized that it would not successfully displace the Mapai party from government. Peres also abandoned the Kadima party when he understood it was the wrong horse to bet on. A great statesman Peres was not. Instead, he was a crafty politician with a nose for political wheeling and dealing.http://alternativenews.org/index.php/features-02/214-shimon-peres-as-he-was

Shimon Peres: Founder of Israel, architect of the occupation

Shimon Peres, the last of Israel’s founding fathers, died on Wednesday at the age of 93 after his condition swiftly deteriorated following a major stroke two weeks ago.

World leaders have lavished praise on Peres, including former American President Bill Clinton, who described him as a “dove of peace” for his role in the 1993 Oslo accords - the first agreements between Israeli and Palestinian leaders which led to him jointly winning a Nobel Peace Prize a year later.

However, the praise has not been universal, with critics drawing attention to his role in the development of Israel's early settlements and as prime minister in 1996 when Israeli troops massacred 154 Lebanese civilians in the so-called Operation Grapes of Wrath.

Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas, of the West Bank Fatah party, hailed Peres as "brave," while his Gaza-based rivals in Hamas called him a "criminal".
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/shimon-peres-founder-israel-architect-occupation-1588285118

How Shimon Peres Stole the Bomb with a Bluff, and Why Military Censor Doesn’t Want Israelis to Know About It

I published this appraisal of a key moment in the political career of Shimon Peres just after he suffered a major stroke. I have updated it now that he has died.

You will read much hagiography in the Peres obituaries published in Israeli and world media. Here is a perfect example in the NY Times of the half-truths and undeserved admiration that is being heaped upon his memory:

He was consistent in his search for an accommodation with the Arab world, a search that in recent years left him orphaned as Israeli society lost interest, especially after the upheavals of the 2011 Arab Spring led to tumult on its borders.
http://www.richardsilverstein.com/2016/09/28/shimon-peres-stole-bomb-bluff-military-censor-doesnt-want-israelis-know/

Abbas to attend Peres’ funeral

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will attend the funeral of Israeli ex-president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres, Palestinian officials said Thursday, in what will be a rare visit to occupied Jerusalem. Several Palestinian officials confirmed his participation at Friday’s funeral, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Sep-30/374478-abbas-to-attend-peres-funeral.ashx