An academic expert on terrorism and author of a previous book about
the Mideast (The Long War, 1969) has written a unique anecdotal
narrative about the "Revisionist" Zionist underground, the Irgun
and LEHI. Bell, who interviewed many paramilitary veterans, calls
himself a "small-r revisionist" in seeking to present their
activity free of "orthodox" depreciation or normal aversion to
terrorism; instead, he views them sympathetically as counterparts
of the Irish Revolutionary Army. After they united in rejecting the
dominant concept of mere self-defense against the Arabs in the late
1930s, a split occurred among the terrorists during WW II when
Avraham Stern refused to support the British war effort and instead
made overtures toward the Axis. After 1945, terrorism came into its
own; Bell records prison escapes, arms smuggling and assassination
plots in great detail (preferred disguises for the Irgun: RAF
officers, Arab deliverymen, or non-kosher beef scouts).
Justifications and self-justifications are enumerated. For example,
Bell thinks the Irgun tried to warn the King David Hotel in
Jerusalem to evacuate its occupants before they blew it up in 1946,
as they claim; but, he believes, the warning never got through. And
he argues that the murder of UN mediator Folke Bernadotte should be
viewed in light of the Count's reputation as a Nazi collaborator
and "British pawn." The book's conclusion - "For the underground,
terror was an unavoidable means" - seems an exculpatory tautology,
but the stories are undeniably gripping. (Kirkus Reviews)
"We fight, therefore we are." This revision of Cartesian wisdom
was enunciated by the late premier of Israel, Menachim Begin. It is
the "leitmotif "of this brilliant study of the military origins of
modern Israel. J. Bowyer Bell argues that the members of Irgun,
Lehi (the Stern Gang), and the Zionist underground in British
mandated Palestine had clear motives for the violent path they
took: the creation of a sovereign homeland for the Jewish people in
oppressed lands. These advocates of terror pitted themselves
against not only the British and the Arabs, but also against less
violent brethren like Ben Gurion, Moshe Dayan, and Yitzhak
Rabin.
This is the definitive story of desperate, dedicated
revolutionaries who were driven to conclude that lives must be
taken if Israel were to live. The dynamite bombing of the King
David Hotel, the assassination of Lord Moyne in Cairo, and Count
Bernardotte, in Palestine were but a few acts of terror which
forced the British out of the Middle East. "Terror Out of Zion
"evaluates whether these acts were extremist or necessary, and
whether these men and women were fanatics or freedom fighters.
"Terror Out of Zion "serves as a primer for those who would
understand contemporary political divisions in Israel. It is based
on careful historical research and interviews with surviving
members of the Irgun, chronicling bombings, assassinations, hah-
breadth prison escapes, and endless cycles of retaliation in the
terror that gave birth to Israel, but, no less, continues to inform
its political relations. Bell has fashioned an adventure story that
also explains the sources of current tensions and frictions within
Israel.
"Publishers' Weekly "wrote that "Bell's book crackles with
suspense and explodes with tales of carnage and violence; it could
hardly be otherwise. Yet he writes with compassion and insight into
the black despair that engendered the terrorist's brutal deeds."
And a highly laudatory "New York Times "review said "excellent ...
a skillfully written, fast-paced anecdotal narrative of one of the
bloodiest and least documented chapters of Zionist history . . .
the story is more than mere history; it is detailed portrait of the
formulating experiences of Israel's new leadership."
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
