# 29 – Rantisi and Ikea

April 18, 2004

You thought I wouldn’t want to write anything, today of all days.

Last night, Saturday night, Aviva and I went with Eliana to Ikea. Eliana needed a sofa. Good friends of ours, with whom we had spent the afternoon playing bridge, were also due to visit the same store.

This Ikea, the first in Israel, is said to be the largest in the Middle East. It was packed yesterday.

While we were there, Aviva’s sister called us with the news about Rantisi. (Co-Founder of  Hamas, nicknamed ‘Lion of Palestine’ – killed yesterday by an Israeli missile attack).

I found out today that our friends also got a communication: an SMS from their son who was at Heathrow airport, about to fly to Israel, who was asking if the story was true.

We bought the sofa.

They bought some garden chairs.

End of story

PS – This evening, Holocaust Remembrance Day begins. We have more important things to think about.

Stephen