Abie Nathan
Encyclopedia
Avraham "Abie" Nathan was an Israeli humanitarian and peace activist
, perhaps best known as the founder of the Voice of Peace
radio station.
, Persia on 29 April 1927. He spent his adolescent years in the city of Bombay (now Mumbai) in India. He became a pilot in the Royal Air Force
in 1944. In 1948 he volunteered as a pilot in the Machal
(volunteers in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
) and stayed in Israel thereafter. He worked with El Al
airlines and later opened a restaurant in Tel Aviv
.
but failed to cross the electoral threshold. After the results were published he declared he would fly to Egypt, carrying a message of peace. Flying in his plane, which he named Shalom 1 ("Peace 1"), he landed in the Egyptian city of Port Said
on 28 February 1966. Arrested upon landing, he asked to meet Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser
, and to deliver a petition calling for peace between Israel and Egypt. He was denied, and was deported back to Israel, where he was arrested again for leaving the country by an illegal route.
s. In the early 1980s, Nathan began meeting officials from the Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO). These meetings were later outlawed by the Knesset
. In 1991, Nathan went again on a hunger strike for 40 days to protest that Israeli law which prevented meetings with terrorist organizations. He stopped his hunger strike following the intervention of President Chaim Herzog
.
Nathan, however, continued to meet with PLO head Yasser Arafat
, and on 18 September 1991 he was condemned to 18 months in prison. President Herzog cut 12 months from his sentence, and he was released after serving less than 6 months.
radio station. He bought a ship with the help of John Lennon
, named it "The Peace Ship", and sailed it outside Israeli territorial waters
. The station broadcast 24 hours a day, mostly English-language programs that mainly included popular music, while promoting Nathan's political activities. While spreading his ideas to his audience, Nathan was also involved with disaster relief in Cambodia, Bangladesh, Biafra, Colombia, and Ethiopia. In another anti-war protest, he presided over the burial of smashed military toys.
In 2005, Nathan was voted the 44th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.
On 1 October 1993, Nathan had to close the Voice of Peace station due to economic and legal difficulties. Part of the reason for closing was that with the signing of the Oslo Peace Accords, he felt his message for peace and dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians has been spread. The ship was scuttled
on 28 November 1993.
In 1997, he suffered a stroke
that left him partially paralyzed. He died in Tel Aviv
on 27 August 2008, aged 81.
On 10 June 2007 the City of Tel Aviv-Yafo passed a resolution to post a commemorative plaque on the Tel-Aviv boardwalk, opposite where The Peace Ship had been anchored. This memorial plays recordings of the Voice Of Peace including the station callsign in Abie's voice, and an explanation in both Hebrew and English. The memorial can be found at Gordon Beach 32.08159°N 34.76755°E
Peace activist
This list of peace activists includes people who proactively advocate diplomatic, non-military resolution of political disputes, usually through nonviolent means.A peace activist is an activist of the peace movement.*Jane Addams*Martti Ahtisaari...
, perhaps best known as the founder of the Voice of Peace
Voice of Peace
Voice of Peace was an offshore radio station that served the Middle East for 20 years from the former Dutch cargo vessel MV Peace , anchored off the coast of Tel Aviv...
radio station.
Early years
Abie Nathan was born in AbadanAbadan
Abadan is a city in and the capital of Abadan County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. It lies on Abadan Island , from the Persian Gulf, near the Iraqi-Iran border. The civilian population of the city dropped to near zero during the eight-years Iran–Iraq War. In 1992, only 84,774 had returned to live...
, Persia on 29 April 1927. He spent his adolescent years in the city of Bombay (now Mumbai) in India. He became a pilot in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in 1944. In 1948 he volunteered as a pilot in the Machal
Machal
Machal is a term used to describe both Jewish and non-Jewish volunteers who went to Israel to fight in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War including Aliyah Bet. About 4,000 volunteers from all over the world came to fight on the Israeli side....
(volunteers in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
1948 Arab-Israeli War
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
) and stayed in Israel thereafter. He worked with El Al
El Al
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd , trading as El Al , is the flag carrier of Israel. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights to Europe, North America, Africa and the Far East from its main base in Ben Gurion International Airport...
airlines and later opened a restaurant in 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...
.
Flight for Peace
Nathan led a party called Nes (lit. Miracle) in the 1965 Knesset electionsIsraeli legislative election, 1965
Elections for the sixth Knesset were held in Israel on 1 November 1965. Voter turnout was 85.9%.-Background:Prior to the elections, two major alliances were formed; Mapai and Ahdut HaAvoda united to form the Alignment, whilst Herut and the Liberal Party had formed the Gahal alliance towards the end...
but failed to cross the electoral threshold. After the results were published he declared he would fly to Egypt, carrying a message of peace. Flying in his plane, which he named Shalom 1 ("Peace 1"), he landed in the Egyptian city of Port Said
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
on 28 February 1966. Arrested upon landing, he asked to meet Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
, and to deliver a petition calling for peace between Israel and Egypt. He was denied, and was deported back to Israel, where he was arrested again for leaving the country by an illegal route.
Meetings with PLO
In 1978, Nathan began his first hunger strike to protest the construction of Israeli settlementIsraeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
s. In the early 1980s, Nathan began meeting officials from the Palestine Liberation Organization
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
(PLO). These meetings were later outlawed by the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
. In 1991, Nathan went again on a hunger strike for 40 days to protest that Israeli law which prevented meetings with terrorist organizations. He stopped his hunger strike following the intervention of President Chaim Herzog
Chaim Herzog
Chaim Herzog served as the sixth President of Israel , following a distinguished career in both the British Army and the Israel Defense Forces .-Early life:...
.
Nathan, however, continued to meet with PLO head Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...
, and on 18 September 1991 he was condemned to 18 months in prison. President Herzog cut 12 months from his sentence, and he was released after serving less than 6 months.
Voice of Peace and humanitarian activities
In 1973, Nathan founded the Voice of PeaceVoice of Peace
Voice of Peace was an offshore radio station that served the Middle East for 20 years from the former Dutch cargo vessel MV Peace , anchored off the coast of Tel Aviv...
radio station. He bought a ship with the help of John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, named it "The Peace Ship", and sailed it outside Israeli territorial waters
Territorial waters
Territorial waters, or a territorial sea, as defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is a belt of coastal waters extending at most from the baseline of a coastal state...
. The station broadcast 24 hours a day, mostly English-language programs that mainly included popular music, while promoting Nathan's political activities. While spreading his ideas to his audience, Nathan was also involved with disaster relief in Cambodia, Bangladesh, Biafra, Colombia, and Ethiopia. In another anti-war protest, he presided over the burial of smashed military toys.
In 2005, Nathan was voted the 44th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
Ynet
Ynet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.
On 1 October 1993, Nathan had to close the Voice of Peace station due to economic and legal difficulties. Part of the reason for closing was that with the signing of the Oslo Peace Accords, he felt his message for peace and dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians has been spread. The ship was scuttled
Scuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
on 28 November 1993.
In 1997, he suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
that left him partially paralyzed. He died in 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...
on 27 August 2008, aged 81.
On 10 June 2007 the City of Tel Aviv-Yafo passed a resolution to post a commemorative plaque on the Tel-Aviv boardwalk, opposite where The Peace Ship had been anchored. This memorial plays recordings of the Voice Of Peace including the station callsign in Abie's voice, and an explanation in both Hebrew and English. The memorial can be found at Gordon Beach 32.08159°N 34.76755°E