David Grossman's son killed in battle

David Grossman's son killed in battle


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Associated Press, THE JERUSALEM POST Aug. 14, 2006

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The son of novelist and peace activist David Grossman has been killed in southern Lebanon, the army said Sunday, just days after the author urged the government to end the war with Hizbullah guerrillas.

Staff Sgt. Uri Grossman who served in an armored unit, was killed Saturday when an anti-tank missile hit his tank, according to the military. He was 20. Twenty-four IDF soldiers were killed on Saturday in the bloodiest day of battles [Click here to read their stories].

Tearful friends and relatives gathered Sunday morning at the Grossman home in the Jerusalem suburb of Mevasseret Tzion.

A statement from the family described Uri as a young man with a wonderful sense of humor, who planned to travel abroad and study theater after his scheduled release from the army in November.

His father, whose novels and political essays have been translated into 20 languages, is an outspoken advocate of conciliation with the Arabs and of ending Israel's occupation of the West Bank.

But, like most Israelis, David Grossman supported Israel's retaliation when Hizbullah fighters kidnapped two IDF soldiers inside Israel on July 12 and unleashed a barrage of rockets on civilians in the north.

By Thursday he said the war had gone on long enough.

The turning point came the previous day when the government approved a plan to launch an 11th-hour campaign to inflict a devastating blow to the guerrillas.

In a joint news conference with fellow novelists Amos Oz and A.B. Yehoshua, Grossman denounced the plan as dangerous and counterproductive.

"Out of concern for the future of Israel and our place here, the fighting should be stopped now, to give a chance to negotiations," he said.

Grossman, an Israeli-born son of a refugee from Nazi Europe, urged Israel to accept a proposal by Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora - which later formed the core of the UN resolution for ending the conflict - calling for the deployment of Lebanese troops in southern Lebanon with the help of an international force that would end Hizbullah's virtual control over the area.

"This solution is the victory that Israel wanted," Grossman said. He warned that stepping up the offensive could trigger the collapse of Saniora's government and the strengthening of Hizbullah - the very force Israel set out to destroy.