Operation Thunderbolt: Flight 139 and the Raid on Entebbe Airport By Saul David (Hodder and Stoughton pp. 446, 20 pounds) In 1976 Palestinian Arabs from a splinter group of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and German far leftists from the Revolutionäre Zellen hijacked an Air France Airbus with nearly 250 … Read more
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s attempts to be re-elected by confronting the White House, two weeks before Israel’s election, antagonised many American Jews, over two thirds of whom had voted for President Barack Obama; it highlighted fundamental differences in approach between the Jewish state and the most powerful Diaspora community. The same was true in … Read more
Moshe Levinger, who died last week, was the symbolic initiator of the settlement drive in the West Bank, following Israel’s lightning victory in six days in 1967. With some of his students, reputedly posing as Swiss tourists wishing to hold a Pesach Seder, he booked in at a Hebron hotel in April 1968 – and … Read more
Lives in Common: Arabs and Jews in Jerusalem, Jaffa and Hebron by Menachem Klein (Hurst and Co London) 336 pp THE TITLE of this book, Lives in Common, was truer of Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs before 1948 – when the state of Israel was established – than today, Indeed the notion has been replaced … Read more
Disturbing rise of the far right Jewish settlers collect stones to build a structure as they attempt to establish an unauthorised outpost at the hill of Eitam Israeli election campaigns are nowadays characterised by the breast-beating of an array of right-wing parties, each vying with their rivals in proclaiming their undiluted patriotism. They have become … Read more
The low attendance at last Sunday’s rally for Israel in part reflects the unease and dilemmas of many British Jews. While the security of Israel’s citizens is paramount, it co-exists with a concern for the sanctity of human life in general. Such nagging doubts underline the unspoken question whether this conflict was avoidable. Its genesis … Read more
Since the idea for this book was first mooted, back in 2008, the concept has evolved considerably. The world has moved on. Barack Obama was then a marginal outsider for the presidential prize. Thus, the ideas at the heart of this book have gone through an extensive process of being reformulated, updated and fully developed. … Read more
As Israel celebrates the 66th anniversary of its founding, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to introduce an addition to the country’s basic laws — the closest thing it has to a constitution — to “legally anchor” Israel as a Jewish state. It seems that Mr. Netanyahu wishes to define the country as the nation-state … Read more
Ari Shavit, My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel Published by Scribe Publications, pp. 445. Nearly half a century ago, I chaired a meeting at university in which the speaker was Norman Bentwich. He had been Attorney-General in Palestine during the British Mandate. A passionate Zionist, yet a loyal servant of the … Read more
Ariel Sharon’s controversial life which ended on 11 January 2014, produced both adulatory tributes and acid condemnations. Few seemed to be able to lift the veil of confusion and provide insights into this complex character. Tony Blair, representing the Quartet at the memorial ceremony, describedhim as “tough but shy, indomitable, yet a servant to his people, … Read more