Shlomo Avineri, an Israeli political scientist, historian, and former government official, passed away on November 30 in Jerusalem at the age of 90. His death was confirmed by Hebrew University, where he taught, and by his daughter, Maayan Avineri-Rebhun. Avineri was known as a public intellectual and a scholar of Marx, Hegel, and Zionism. He played a role in peace negotiations with King Hussein of Jordan during his tenure as director general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry from 1975 to 1977. Although he was considered “quite dovish,” Avineri became a critic of the Palestinian national movement due to the impact of intifada and suicide bombings. Avineri, who immigrated to Palestine from Poland in the 1930s, was deeply committed to Zionism. He was skeptical about Israel’s prospects for achieving peace and believed in the Palestinian and Arab hatred towards Israel. However, he also advocated for measures to ease the conflict, such as ceasing construction in settlements and providing financial aid to settlers who agreed to move back to Israel. Avineri was widely admired for his scholarship on 19th-century thinkers and his books on Karl Marx and Zionism. He had a distinguished academic career before entering the foreign ministry in 1975. Despite his evolving views, he remained influential among moderate leftists in Israel. Avineri’s death was mourned by many, and his contributions to Israeli politics and academia will be remembered.
