a quotable woman

Golda Meir wasn’t my favourite Israeli Prime Minister but there is no doubt she is probably one of the more quotable Israeli Prime Ministers. Jay Nordlinger recounts this story at the Corner:

Finally, Bernard Lewis once told me a story about Golda Meir at Princeton. She did not give a speech. She just said, “Look, you know my views. You know my outlook on the world. I have been a public figure for a long time. Why don’t you just ask me some questions.”

So, during this session, someone said, “Why is it that the PLO belongs to UNESCO while Israel does not?” (Israel was forbidden to join, of course.) And Golda said, “Well, let’s see: ‘UNESCO’ stands for ‘United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.’ Obviously, the Palestinians have more to contribute to education, science, and culture than we do.”

And what they can accomplish with an axe defies belief.