For the Future of Israel

One of the greatest recent moments in the annals of peace during a century deeply marred by war and its atrocities was the handshake between longtime enemies Yitzak Rabin and Yassir Arafat in Washington, D.C., in 1993. Signifying a new era for the Middle East, the handshake was the public culmination of painstaking negotiations carried out by Shimon Peres, then Foreign Minister of Israel, and Palestinian representatives in Oslo, Norway. For their efforts, Rabin, Peres, and Arafat won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994.
May, 1998, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Israel. For the Future of Israel reveals the character of a leader who participated in the birth of his country and whose thoughts remain ever on the future--on the basis and prospects for peace. In five conversations with novelist and former Newsweek correspondent Robert Littell, Peres reflects on his youth in shtetl and kibbutz, the impact of the Holocaust on world affairs, what it means to be a Jew, and the ongoing struggle to end terrorism and forge peace between Israel and its neighbors. Completed in late 1996 and 1997, the interviews reflect the changed state of Israel since the assassination of Yitzak Rabin (after which Peres was named Prime Minister and Defense Minister) and the subsequent election of a Likud-led government in Israel and its renegotiation of aspects of the Oslo agreements.
Peres speaks candidly of his negotiations with Arafat and of his close, complementary relationship with Rabin. Ranging widely over the last fifty years, he ponders the effect of the occupation of the territories on the character of his country. He gives his views on public figures he has known (among them Ben Gurion, Mitterand, Reagan, Netanyahu, Yeltsin, and Clinton), the qualities of good leadership, and the dangers of fundamentalism and religious parties. He describes his approach to negotiations, one that sharply contrasts with those who believe that the terms of peace must be dictated: "To achieve peace, you cannot impose your position or any position--you have to urge parties to come to a position."He conveys his belief that the future of peace for Israel lies in replacing the unifying force of war with the unifying strength of a constitution and ethics.
This book is Peres' testament to the highest qualities of Israel and a thorough presentation of his deeply considered views on what must be done to preserve the country's spiritual and political aspirations.
【From Kirkus Reviews】
Five long, only fitfully fruitful conversations between Israels former prime minister who was the long-time rival to, ultimate collaborator with, and successor to the slain Yitzhak Rabin, and a Paris-based former Newsweek correspondent and novelist. Peres reveals a number of fascinating facts of which all but a handful of readers will have been unaware. For example, during Israels War of Independence, the Israeli forces executed one of its members allegedly spying for the British, only to learn later that he was innocent. Like Henry Kissinger, Peres has his share of bon mots, such as saying of Yasir Arafat that when it comes to facts, he prefers to be a sort of Chagallthings can float around. At times, Peress reflections are highly insightful, even profound, such as this on the Jews: Were a dissatisfied people, a people that makes demands on itself, a people that the only electricity it knows is high-tensionthere is no low tension in Jewish energy. Unfortunately, he also is sometimes prone, as his critics claim, to viewing both the past and present through rose-colored lenses; for example, he makes the dubious assertion that when we left power [May 1996], the trust [between Israel and its partners in the peace process] was full. I think even today we enjoy a great deal of trust among the Arabs. Among the Palestinians.'' His impressions of world political leaders he has met are both replete with colorful anecdotes and often superficial. Peres and Littells book also could have used better organizationtheir conversations sometimes seem rambling, flitting from topic to topic. Peres, of course, is still too close to his own very eventful life to provide real autobiographical perspective with critical depth. This book, entertaining and occasionally instructive as it is, underscores the need for a good biography of one of Israels most important leaders.
-- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
【Review】
"There have been many books by and about Peres. For the Future of Israel, however, probably comes closest to unlocking the essential enigma of the man... The book is rich in anecdotes and insights which goes well beyond the narrow confines of politics to unearth the real character of the man -- and, inter alia, the story of Israel itself... A true renaissance figure who devours poetry, novels, philosophy, and political history, Peres at 75 appears to be as energetic and inquisitive about the world as ever... What lingers in the mind of the reader is his eclectic character, his keen wit and breadth of vision, which remains far ahead of his time."
-- Lawrence Joffe, Jewish Chronicle (U.K.)
""Peres presents himself with neither artifice nor pretense. Conceived as an historical document, Defending Israel is a work that is at once candid, personal, and comprehensive."
-- La Depeche de midi, reviewing the French edition
"As Shimon Peres talks candidly about his life and of the parallel history of Israel, a memorable portrait emerges of a man of great integrity, courage and humanity. His account of the events and personalities that have shaped Israel and its search for peace with security is wise and often poetic. For the Future of Israel is both fascinating reading and a valuable historical document."
-- Henry A. Kissinger
"After reading the five in-depth interviews that comprise this book, one ends up feeling that some men are just too smart, warm, and reflective for politics."
-- Publishers Weekly
【Readers' Review】
Amazon Customer 1:
Israel is too small for Shimon Peres. As a young man, he assiduously read the works of Leon Trotsky, as he says in his memoirs. Trotksy's distorted Marxist view of reality has stayed with Peres his entire career. Trotsky was only interested in "world revolution", making everybody the same, and Trotsky would define what the "same" would be and use force to impose it. Thus Peres reveres the song of John Lennon "Imagine" in which talks about a world without nations or religions, and I presume Peres and Lennon would then force all of us to believe in what they believe in also, even if we don't want to. Peres retains the Marxist philosophy that man's primary motivation is economics which leads him to make his silly statement in his book "The New Middle East"-"in the modern world all people care about is money and internet"-although we see that the Muslim extremists and their supporters don't seem to think the way Peres does. In any event, there is no place for the Jews or Zionism in his scheme of things. When Peres and Rabin made their Nobel Prize speeches, they made them in English, although the custom for everyone else who shows pride in their country and culture is to make it in their native language, as did their "friend and partner" Arafat. Obviously Judaism, the Hebrew language and Zionism are embarrassments to him. Fortunately, the people of Israel have had their say by reducing the number of seats the party he has had a stranglehold over for almost the last 30 years from 44 down to 19. Thus, the reader interested in seeing the way Israel is going in the future had better look elsewhere than this cliche-filled, "politically correct" book.
Amazon Customer 2:
The fascinating thing about Shimon Peres is his sheer stamina. At 78 he still wants to be Prime Miniater! He is criticised for being a dreamer but he is a diplomat politician statesman as well. We need optimists and realists right now and he is both otherwise Sharon would not have him in his government. Robert Littell is the perfect foil to Mr Peres and I would describe this book as a work of art. It is also jounalism at its highest and I cannot commend it too much.
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