Since leaving the Knesset in 1981, Avnery wrote several books and continued to be active in Israel’s peace movement. He famously met with Yasser Arafat in 1982 during the First Lebanon War.
By AMY SPIROUpdated: AUGUST 10, 2018 03:15Uri Avnery(photo credit: Courtesy)
Former MK and longtime peace activist Uri Avnery has been hospitalized after suffering a serious stroke.Avnery, who served in the Knesset for 11 years – first as founder of the left-wing Meri Party, and then with the Sheli Party – suffered a stroke earlier this week and was sent to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.The 94-year-old is reportedly unconscious and in critical condition.Since leaving the Knesset in 1981, Avnery wrote several books and continued to be active in Israel’s peace movement.He famously met with Yasser Arafat in 1982 during the First Lebanon War.In 1992, Avnery founded the Gush Shalom NGO, which calls for “an end to the occupation” and for “establishing Jerusalem as the capital of the two states.”Avnery, who was born in Germany, fought as a squad commander in the Givati Brigade during the War of Independence.In 2008, his book 1948: A Soldier’s Tale – the Bloody Road to Jerusalem, was published in English.
