Uri Avnery, trailblazing Israeli journalist & peace activist passes away

Uri Avnery (94), a trailblazing Israeli journalist & peace activist and one of the first to openly advocate for a Palestinian state, has passed away in Tel Aviv, Israel on August 20, 2018. He was famous for crossing the lines during the Siege of Beirut to meet Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat on 3 July 1982. It was first time that the Palestinian leader ever met with an Israeli. Avnery was the author of several books about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, including 1948: A Soldier’s Tale, the Bloody Road to Jerusalem (2008); Israel’s Vicious Circle (2008); and My Friend, the Enemy (1986).