Élie Barnavi
Encyclopedia
Élie Barnavi is an Israel
i historian and diplomat, who was the Israeli ambassador to France between 2000 and 2002. Born in Bucharest
he moved as a child to Tel Aviv
, Israel. He has written several books on French and European history.
, Romania
, Barnavi emigrated as a child to Tel Aviv
and became an Israeli citizen, but still holds a Romanian passport. He has degrees in history from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
, and in political science from Tel Aviv University
(TAU), and received his PhD in modern history
from the University of Paris
in 1971, after which he was appointed professor of modern Western history at TAU, where he directed the Center for International Studies. He became the science director of the Museum of Europe
in Brussels
in 1998, and was the Israel
i ambassador to France
between 2000 and 2002, after which he resumed teaching at TAU and returned to his work at the museum.
Barnavi is an advocate for peace in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and for the creation of a Palestinian state
. He is a member of the Peace Now movement and the left-wing Meretz party. In June 2008 he wrote an article in Marianne
magazine regarding the Muhammad al-Durrah incident, which involved a 12-year-old Palestinian boy who was supposedly shot dead. He criticised the actions of Talal Abu Rahma—the Palestinian cameraman freelancing for France 2
who filmed the footage, calling him a "propagandist in the service of the Palestinian cause"—France 2, and Charles Enderlin
, France 2's bureau chief in Israel; and called for an independent inquiry into the affair. Enderline replied that, given Barnavi's position as a former ambassador, a quick call to Shabak, Israel's internal security service, would have cleared up inaccuracies in his account. In 2010 he supported JCall
's "Call for Reason" campaign which advocated the two-state solution.
Barnavi was friends with Jean Frydman
, a member of the French Resistance
, and successfully persuaded Frydman to write an autobiography after Régis Debray
and Romain Gary
both tried and failed. He has debated with Hubert Védrine
, amongst others.
Barnavi has written several books on French and European history, including L’Europe Frigide ("Frigid Europe") (2008), in which he talks about how "Europe no longer incites passion in her citizens. She has lost her sex appeal, is no longer exciting or arousing curiosity, since everything has become bureaucratic." In 2010 he said the European Union
was in decline relative to the United States and merging countries.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i historian and diplomat, who was the Israeli ambassador to France between 2000 and 2002. Born in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
he moved as a child to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, Israel. He has written several books on French and European history.
Biography
Born in BucharestBucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Barnavi emigrated as a child to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
and became an Israeli citizen, but still holds a Romanian passport. He has degrees in history from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
, and in political science from Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
(TAU), and received his PhD in modern history
Modern history
Modern history, or the modern era, describes the historical timeline after the Middle Ages. Modern history can be further broken down into the early modern period and the late modern period after the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution...
from the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
in 1971, after which he was appointed professor of modern Western history at TAU, where he directed the Center for International Studies. He became the science director of the Museum of Europe
Museum of Europe
The Museum of Europe is a museum project based in Brussels, Belgium.Krzysztof Pomian is director of the Scientific Committee and Élie Barnavi is a former director.- References :...
in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
in 1998, and was the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i ambassador to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
between 2000 and 2002, after which he resumed teaching at TAU and returned to his work at the museum.
Barnavi is an advocate for peace in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and for the creation of a Palestinian state
Two-state solution
The two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the consensus solution that is currently under discussion by the key parties to the conflict, most recently at the Annapolis Conference in November 2007...
. He is a member of the Peace Now movement and the left-wing Meretz party. In June 2008 he wrote an article in Marianne
Marianne (magazine)
Marianne is a weekly Paris-based French news magazine created in 1997 by Jean-François Kahn with Maurice Szafran as editorialist. The main shareholder of the company is Robert Assaraf with 49.4% of the shares .-Overview:...
magazine regarding the Muhammad al-Durrah incident, which involved a 12-year-old Palestinian boy who was supposedly shot dead. He criticised the actions of Talal Abu Rahma—the Palestinian cameraman freelancing for France 2
France 2
France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Ô...
who filmed the footage, calling him a "propagandist in the service of the Palestinian cause"—France 2, and Charles Enderlin
Charles Enderlin
Charles Enderlin is a Franco-Israeli journalist, specialising in the Middle East and Israel. He is the author of a number of books on the subject, including Shamir, une biographie , Shattered Dreams: The Failure of the Peace Process in the Middle East, 1995-2002 , and The Lost Years: Radical Islam,...
, France 2's bureau chief in Israel; and called for an independent inquiry into the affair. Enderline replied that, given Barnavi's position as a former ambassador, a quick call to Shabak, Israel's internal security service, would have cleared up inaccuracies in his account. In 2010 he supported JCall
JCall
JCall is a nonprofit advocacy group based in Europe to lobby the European parliament on foreign policy issues concerning the Middle East and Israel in particular. They say they are based along the lines of the America group J Street, founded just months before this group...
's "Call for Reason" campaign which advocated the two-state solution.
Barnavi was friends with Jean Frydman
Jean Frydman
-Resistant:During World War II, at the age of 15 he rallied the France libre. A prisoner at Buchenwald, he met Marcel Dassault. He escaped from Buchenwald.-Man of communication:...
, a member of the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
, and successfully persuaded Frydman to write an autobiography after Régis Debray
Régis Debray
Jules Régis Debray is a French intellectual, journalist, government official and professor. He is known for his theorization of mediology, a critical theory of the long-term transmission of cultural meaning in human society; and for having fought in 1967 with Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara in...
and Romain Gary
Romain Gary
Romain Gary was a French diplomat, novelist, film director, World War II aviator. He is the only author to have won the Prix Goncourt twice .- Early life :Gary was born in Vilnius under the name Roman Kacew...
both tried and failed. He has debated with Hubert Védrine
Hubert Védrine
Hubert Védrine is a French Socialist politician.Diplomatic adviser of President Mitterrand, he served as secretary-general of the presidency from 1991 to 1995, then as Foreign Minister in the government of Lionel Jospin from 1997 to 2002.After the reelection of Jacques Chirac in May 2002, Védrine...
, amongst others.
Barnavi has written several books on French and European history, including L’Europe Frigide ("Frigid Europe") (2008), in which he talks about how "Europe no longer incites passion in her citizens. She has lost her sex appeal, is no longer exciting or arousing curiosity, since everything has become bureaucratic." In 2010 he said the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
was in decline relative to the United States and merging countries.
Further reading
- Gady, Alexandre. "Élie Barnavi : « Le socle de l'europe est chrétien »" (Google Translate). Le PointLe PointLe Point is a French weekly news magazine. It was founded in 1972 by a group of journalists who had, one year earlier, left the editorial team of L'Express, which was then owned by Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, a député of the Parti Radical...
. 17 January 2001. Retrieved 4 October 2010. - "Elie Barnavi, historian and former Israeli ambassador to France". France 24France 24France 24 is an international news and current affairs television channel. The service is aimed at the overseas market, similar to BBC World News, DW-TV, NHK World and RT, and broadcast through satellite and cable operators throughout the world. During 2010 the channel started broadcasting through...
. 17 October 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2010. - "Europe fights declining power". The Straits TimesThe Straits TimesThe Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
. 10 February 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2010. - Ayache, Charlotte. "Israël, un avenir compromis ?" (Google Translate). Jerusalem Post. 28 April 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
- Audétat, Michel. "Elie Barnavi: "Israël s’enferme dans une cage"" (Google Translate). L'HebdoL'HebdoL'Hebdo is a weekly French language magazine published from the city of Lausanne, Switzerland. It claims a circulation of 44,870 copies and a readership of 217 000. Its current editor in chief is Alain Jeannet....
. 16 June 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2010.