I first learned of Gideon Levy many years ago, during a casual conversation with an Israeli human rights activist. He told me that he had asked Levy why was he such a serious critic of Israel’s government and its policies with the Palestinians. Levy, whose own father was a German Jewish refugee who had settled in Israel, responded, "I don’t want Israelis to say that they didn’t know."
Levy frequently travels to and writes about the Occupied Territories. As a columnist for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Levy wants to show the evils of the occupation and how it hurts not only the Palestinians but also the Israel that he loves so much. "I am an Israeli patriot. I want to be proud of my country. I want us to do the right thing," he declared. His writing has gained him several prestigious awards, but also the hatred of many Israelis and several personal attacks.
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