The Peace Maker
Professor Shlomo Ben Ami immigrated to Israel at the age of twelve in 1955, from Morocco. As a young academic in Israel, his initial choice of subject was Spanish history, a subject that he excelled in — his biography on the Spanish dictator Primo De Rivera, written when he was 28, is believed to be the most authoritative work ever written on the topic. Soon however, Ben Ami turned his eye to the examination of his own home, choosing to study history of Israel and the Middle-East. His fluency with both Spanish and Middle-Eastern history soon saw him become Israel’s ambassador to Spain for three years, when he decided to enter politics. In 1999, Ben Ami was appointed the Minister of Internal Security, responsible for the Israel Police, and by 2000 he was serving as the Foreign Minister under the government of Ehud Barak. Finally resigning when Ariel Sharon came to power, Ben Ami is currently the vice-president of the Toledo International Centre for Peace (TICpax), which aims to prevent and resolve violent and potentially violent conflicts in the world. Ben Ami has also become a voice of conscience, critiquing certain Israeli policies towards Palestinians.
In his book Scars of War, Wounds of Peace; the 57-year-old examines the founding myths in Israel’s modern history, particularly those related to the war of independence.
