The hand of history in Blair's new role
Inauspiciously, the first day of [Tony Blair's] trip [to the Middle East] marked the anniversary of the "saddest day in Jewish history'' - the Tisha Be'av commemoration of the destruction of the temples of Solomon and Herod in Jerusalem. This unfortunate coincidence should remind Mr Blair that history will stalk him every step of the way - and not always ancient history.
Sixty years ago, the use of the King David by the British colonial government of what was then called Palestine made it a legitimate target in the eyes of militant Jews. In 1946, they used a bomb to blow the southern end of the hotel to pieces, killing 91 people, mostly administrative staff. Among the dead were 17 Jews. In the eyes of modern Israel, the bombers were freedom fighters. In the eyes of the British authorities, they were terrorists.
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Sixty years ago, the use of the King David by the British colonial government of what was then called Palestine made it a legitimate target in the eyes of militant Jews. In 1946, they used a bomb to blow the southern end of the hotel to pieces, killing 91 people, mostly administrative staff. Among the dead were 17 Jews. In the eyes of modern Israel, the bombers were freedom fighters. In the eyes of the British authorities, they were terrorists.