his week, the Prime Minister of Canada made a dramatic statement in Parliament: he apologised to the indigenous peoples of his country for the injustices done to them for generations by successive Canadian governments.

This way, White Canada tries to make peace with the native nations, whose country their forefathers conquered and whose culture their rulers have tried to wipe out.

Apologising for past wrongs has become a part of modern political culture. That is never an easy thing to do. Cynics might say: there is nothing to it, just words. And words, after all, are a cheap commodity. But in fact, such acts have a profound significance. A human being – and even more so, a whole nation – always finds it hard to admit to iniquities performed and to atrocities committed. It means a rewriting of the historical narrative that forms the basis of their national cohesion. It necessitates a drastic change in the schoolbooks and in the national outlook. In general, governments are averse to this, because of the nationalistic demagogues and hate-mongers who infest every country.

The President of France has apologised on behalf of his people for the misdeeds of the Vichy regime, which turned Jews over to the Nazi exterminators. The Czech government has apologised to the Germans for the mass expulsion of the German population at the end of World War II. Germany, of course, has apologised to the Jews for the unspeakable crimes of the Holocaust. Quite recently, the government of Australia has apologised to the Aborigines. And even in Israel, a feeble effort was made to heal a grievous domestic wound, when Ehud Barak apologised to the Oriental Jews for the discrimination they have suffered for many years.

I believe that peace between us and the Palestinian people – a real peace, based on real conciliation – starts with an apology.

In my mind's eye I see the President of the State or the Prime Minister addressing an extraordinary session of the Knesset and making an historic speech of apology.