It was a cool but fine sunny autumn afternoon in New York. Lefkovitz and Blunt stood in one of the viewing alcoves on the South Tower's viewing floor. The vista of the Hudson spread out into the distance. The glass floor of the alcove gave the policeman a strange feeling. Looking down at the busy streets four hundred metres below your feet made you feel as if you were floating and may plunge to your death at any moment.
'My friend' from Lefkovitz 'have you ever looked into your family history, especially your mother's?
'No' came the guarded response.
'Do you want to know?
'Not particularly'
'Would it surprise you to know that she was Jewish, that she was in Theresienstadt?
'No it would not.' Blunt stiffened.
'Why do you want to deny your past, your history? History is what defines us as individuals and as a people?' argued Lefkovitz
'I cannot agree with you Avram. I think that we should try and learn from history. I do not think, and I cannot accept, that we should be prisoners of history, prisoners of the past. If we accept that, then history is little better than religion. Religion is used to divide people, divide groups, tribes and nations. Is history as currently propagated any better? Do you not think that Jews, Palestinians and all the Arabs are prisoners of history? Prisoners of a history of shared differences!'
'What are you suggesting my friend?'
'I am suggesting that Rabin has started a process that perhaps is beginning to learn from history as opposed to being imprisoned by it. I think that the process should be continued. If Israel does not come to terms with the reality of being nearly surrounded by and outnumbered by the Palestinians then I can only see that Israel will cease to exist. However, I also see that if Israel does come to terms with and addresses the reality as it should then it could also cease to exist as a Jewish state. Israel is impaled on the horns of a dilemma.' explained Blunt
'The destruction of Israel, is that what you want my friend?' questioned Lefkovitz
'No I do not. My heart tells me that Jews must have a bolt hole in case a collective madness descends upon the world again'
'Keep hold of that, my friend. Your rational views will only have meaning if everyone shares them simultaneously. They are not just rational but also idealistic and therefore given human nature they are irrational. What a contradiction? What would your philosophers make of that?'
'Good point Avram. Yet it does not negate my central point that I do not wish to be a prisoner of my family's past. A past that in some ways attempts to determine how I view other human beings. A past that attempts to determine how I should act. I wish to live in the present and to judge people as I find them now. A Muslim will get on with someone until they discover he or she is a Jew. That cannot be right'
'Surely, in your ideal world you then end in a Humean existence in which you only know that you exist in a particular moment in time'
'Not quite'
'Of course. My view of that resembles Dr Johnson's dismissal of Berkleyan philosophy when he kicked the stone'
'Ah the good old argumentum ad lapidum. A facile dismissal as opposed to a reasoned refutation' countered Blunt.
'So why did you call me about Saddiqe and a threat to Israel? Why did you provide us with information about Schonmann? questioned Lefkovitz
'Because, I thought it was the right thing to do at the time. And because I want to see Israel continue to exist as a Jewish state. A safety net, a bolthole that is there should it ever be required.'
They were interrupted by a tall silver haired guy with a distinct southern drawl who greeted both Lefkovitz and Blunt with a loud and clear 'Hi'. He put his left hand on Blunt's right shoulder moving it to his arm as he pumped his right hand with a vigorous handshake. He complimented the Englishman on averting a disaster and saving the fine building they were in and all the people working in it. He then moved on to skilfully work all the others in the room. Avram commented that Blunt had just been complimented by the probable next President of the United States. Shortly after Blunt briefly spoke with Yitzhak Rabin and James Baker.
These brief meetings and what had been said had not gone unnoticed by one or two others in the room. They later reported back to their seniors about their countryman who had been at the function. A countryman who obviously got on well with a known Mossad agent.