Violinist Menuhin Scores Israeli Policy

JERUSALEM — Violinist Yehudi Menuhin, honored for his “special achievements benefiting mankind,” struck a discordant note with Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir by condemning Israel’s “contempt for the basic dignities” of Palestinians.

Menuhin’s blunt slap at Shamir was especially stinging because the prime minister was preparing to greet a parade of diplomats who have also been critical of Israeli behavior in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Menuhin spoke out during a ceremony Sunday evening at the Knesset, in which he and seven others were jointly awarded the $100,000 Wolf Foundation Prize.

“This wasteful governing by fear, by contempt for the basic dignities of life, this steady asphyxiation of a dependent people, should be the very last means to be adopted by those who themselves know too well the awful significance, the unforgettable suffering of such an existence,” Menuhin said, minutes after Shamir shook his hand to congratulate him.