Uri Avnery

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Lore & Background

Uri Avnery was born Helmut Ostermann on 10 September 1923 in Beckum, Germany, and emigrated to Mandatory Palestine in November 1933. He joined the Irgun in 1938, in reaction to the execution of Shlomo Ben-Yosef, but left in 1942 after becoming disenchanted with their tactics, stating he did not back killing people in retaliation. During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War he fought on the southern front in the Givati Brigade as a squad commander and later in Samson's Foxes commando unit, writing its anthem, 'The Foxes of Shimshon'. He wrote dispatches from the front line published in Haaretz and later as a book, In the Fields of Philistia. He changed his surname to Avnery, a Hebraic rendering of his brother Werner, who was killed in Gondar in 1941 while fighting with No. 51 Commando. In 1950, Avnery (with Shalom Cohen and two others) bought the failing magazine HaOlam HaZeh and turned it into an anti-establishment tabloid known for sensational scoops, with the banner maxim 'without fear, without bias'. The editorial office and printer were subject to three bombing attacks; he survived two assassination attempts; and in 1953 an unknown person assaulted him, leaving both hands and all his fingers broken. He was elected to the Knesset in 1965 and again in 1977, and in late 1975 was among the founders of the Israeli Council for Israeli–Palestinian Peace, shortly after which he was assaulted and stabbed several times. Avnery crossed front lines to meet Yasser Arafat on 3 July 1982 during the Siege of Beirut. An Israeli intelligence team intended to kill Arafat, even if it meant killing Avnery, in an operation called 'Salt Fish', which failed when the PLO lost their trackers. He wrote several books, including My Friend, the Enemy (1986), 1948: A Soldier's Tale, the Bloody Road to Jerusalem (2008), and Israel's Vicious Circle (2008). He received the Right Livelihood Award in 2001 and the Carl von Ossietzky Medal in 2008.

Reader's Guide

Uri Avnery's significance lies in his transformation from a teenage Irgun member and 1948 war veteran to a leading voice for Israeli–Palestinian peace. His meeting with Yasser Arafat on 3 July 1982 during the Siege of Beirut broke a taboo and symbolized his belief in dialogue with adversaries. As editor of HaOlam HaZeh from 1950 to 1993, he pioneered muckraking journalism in Israel, facing three bombing attacks, two assassination attempts, and a 1953 assault that broke both hands and all his fingers. His political career, though brief (Knesset 1965–1974 and 1979–1981), advanced ideas of a 'Semitic region' federation including Palestine, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq. Avnery's legacy is that of a persistent, often controversial activist who challenged both Israeli establishment and mainstream Zionism, advocating for Palestinian statehood and coexistence. His awards—the Right Livelihood Award (2001) and the Carl von Ossietzky Medal (2008)—and his role in founding Gush Shalom cement his place as a key figure in the Israeli peace movement.

Did You Know?

• Avnery changed his surname to Avnery, a Hebraic rendering of his brother Werner, who was killed in Gondar in 1941 while fighting with No. 51 Commando.
• He wrote the anthem 'The Foxes of Shimshon' for the Samson's Foxes commando unit during the 1948 war.
• In 1953 an unknown person assaulted him, leaving both hands and all his fingers broken.
• He crossed front lines to meet Yasser Arafat on 3 July 1982 during the Siege of Beirut, the first Israeli to do so.
• An Israeli intelligence operation called 'Salt Fish' intended to kill Arafat even if it meant killing Avnery, but failed when the PLO lost their trackers.