Avraham Burg: "The Holocaust Is Over"

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! February 12, 2009:

. . . We’re joined now by a former Israeli politician who has emerged as one of his government’s biggest critics. Avraham Burg is a former speaker of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. He’s former chair of the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization. His new book, though, is called The Holocaust Is Over: We Must Rise from Its Ashes. . . .

Avraham Burg: When I look at some of the AIPAC’s, OK, activities, I have a feeling that sometimes we’re having three political entities: the United States of America, the sovereign state of Israel, and the independent state of AIPAC, which has its own policy, whatever it is, not working for the best interests of Israel, according to the way I understand it and Yitzhak Rabin understood it, and not according to the best interests of the United States of America. . . . And I would like to see the alternative American Jewry, which is expressed through the liberalism and humanism and civil rights and a total commitment toward peace. . . .

Amy Goodman: What about the US government and what’s happening now? The US House and Senate passed resolutions in support of the Israeli attack on Gaza.

Avraham Burg: A mistake.

Amy Goodman: What is your thought on that?

Avraham Burg: A mistake.

Amy Goodman: Why?

Avraham Burg: Because this is still the energy of the ocean liner of George W. Bush, that “Never mind what Israel is doing. Never mind what my beloved child is doing. I’ll never say no.” Now, it is wrong for the world, it is wrong for American interests, and it’s wrong for Israel. . . . By the end of the day, everybody knows what will be the bottom line. The bottom line will be ’67 lines, and whatever cannot be resolved according to the exact geographic line will be land swap.

Amy Goodman: Should Israel pull out entirely from the West Bank and Gaza?

Avraham Burg: Tomorrow morning. No, actually, yesterday, yesterday evening. No doubt about it.

Amy Goodman: Pull out all the settlements.

Avraham Burg: Yeah, it pollutes our morality, and it contaminates our policy. . . . (continued)