I was given a book for my birthday, which I have just recently started reading. The Palestinian lover by Sélim Nassib (in its Portuguese version) on a secret love affair between Golda Meir and a Palestinian banker caught me off guard and the reason it did (I believe) is tied to the fact that I had always looked at Golda as an exclusively political oriented figure whose sole thoughts and actions couldn't revolve but around a selflessness and devotion-like type of behaviour.
Imagining her having an affair (not so much that it was with a Palestinian) was something beyond my wildest thoughts, which is totally absurd on my part, I must confess but having been conveyed the idea that the thing that mattered most in her life was giving herself to the Zionist led me to wrongly assume that she had no "personal" life.
I quite liked the book, which made me sympathise with her lover's "ordeal", despite having provided me with a better understanding of what it requires to be strong-willed and do what needs to be done even if one's personal life is affected by one's convictions.
Following the recent demise of Shimon Peres Obama stated the "there are very few people who share this world with who change the course of human history, not just through their role in human events but because they expand our moral imagination and force us to expect more of ourselves" and I strongly believe these words could eaily be applicable to her as well.
"(...) if a thing has to be done you don't waste time with theories and ebates. You just do it." - Golda Meir.
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