Vol. 25 No. 21 · 6 November 2003
pages 14-15 | 2621 words
In The Mukatah
Uri Avnery
The most dramatic moment occurred the evening after Yom Kippur. We were sitting in the courtyard of Arafat’s Mukatah (compound): a group of Israeli peace activists and Palestinian friends. A mild wind was blowing after a hot day. We were talking about the situation (what else?) and the latest gossip on the Palestinian leadership. From time to time a senior Palestinian Authority official joined us, in between visits to the President.
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Letters
Vol. 25 No. 22 · 20 November 2003
From L.P. Harvey
It may seem out of place to quibble about a transliteration in Uri Avnery's account of his participation in the human shield in Arafat's Mukatah, but when the word for 'symbol' on a Palestinian poster is rendered as 'rams', an unfortunate confusion arises (LRB, 6 November). The plural of the English word for a male sheep, 'rams', is pronounced with a final voiced consonant, and renders very exactly the sound of the Arabic word for 'symbol'. Nevertheless, it should be borne in mind that there is another quite distinct Arabic word 'rams' (with a final unvoiced sibilant) which means 'grave', 'tomb', 'dust' etc. It seems desirable to use a straightforward standard transliteration and to avoid any suggestion that the Church of the Sepulchre and other monuments are being designated by the Palestinian Ministry for Refugee Affairs as tombs: so, 'ramz'.
L.P. Harvey
Oxford
