We’ve had another power cut. The lights came on again after a couple of minutes. It’s probably a hint to me that I ought to pop into the bank to pay my bill, otherwise they’ll cut me off and leave me sitting in the dark. I owe the grocer a lot of money too. And did I pay Mrs. Schneider across the road for her schnitzel yesterday, or did I sign for it again? I forgot to get that book for Dimi. What’s holding us up? Why are we still here? Why aren’t we getting up and clearing out, and leaving Jerusalem to those who will come after us? A very good question, he said under his breath.

This time he convened his cabinet in the old Sha’arei Zedek hospital on Jaffa Road, a splendid abandoned building that had fallen into decay since the hospital was moved to a new site. By lamplight, among remnants of broken benches and pieces of rusting bedsteads, he arranged his ministers in a semicircle. He asked each of them in turn for a briefing on the situation in their various departments. Then he stunned them all by announcing that he intended to fly to Tunis at dawn to address the Palestine National Council. He would place the main burden of historic responsibility for the plight of the Palestinian Arabs fairly and squarely on the shoulders of their extremist leadership since the ’twenties. He would not spare them our anger. However, he would offer to break out of the vicious circle of bloodshed and start building together a reasonable future based on compromise and conciliation. The only condition for starting to negotiate would be the total cessation of violence on both sides. At the close of the session, in the early hours, he appointed Uri Gefen minister of defense. Gad Eitan received the foreign-affairs portfolio. Tsvi would be responsible for education, Nina for finance, Wahrhaftig was put in charge of social welfare, and Ted and Yael would look after science, technology, and energy. For information and internal security he was retaining himself for the time being. And from now on the cabinet would be renamed the Revolutionary Council. The revolutionary process would be completed within six months. By then peace would be established. And immediately thereafter we can all return to our occupations and no longer interfere in the work of the elected government. I myself shall withdraw into total anonymity. I shall change my name and disappear. Now let us disperse separately by side entrances.

What about involving Dimi?