Abba Eban An Autobiography

Israel's long-time foreign minister recounts in the first-person dramatic events in which he was a key participant on the world stage: Israel's 1948 war of independence, the 1956 Suez campaign, the Six-day war in 1967 and the Yom Kippur war in 1973. “An autobiography that makes compelling reading... Eban’s words and deeds derive from his commitment to the principle of partition [of ancient Palestine]... Eban’s testament is not only elegant, but timely.” — James Chace, The New York Times “A ‘compelling’ and well-written autobiography by the former foreign minister of Israel that ‘dramatizes the debates within the Zionist movement that has characterized the modern history of Israel.’” — The New York Times “This personal story is an informal and informative history of Israel's diplomacy since before the birth of the state and also includes a mixture of philosophic reflection and views on personalities and politics, all presented in Eban's well-known felicitous style.” — John C. Campbell, Foreign Affairs “Eban's engrossing autobiography tells us a great deal about both the author and his political activities on behalf of Israel in the world arena... Impeccably written... Eban's autobiography is an important political document and personal testimonial.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Based on interviews with dozens of people and research in more than twenty archival collections, [this] cleareyed biography deserves to be called definitive.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Born in South Africa, educated in England, and ultimately a major figure in Israeli history, Abba Eban was a skilled debater, a master of multiple languages, and a passionate defender of the Jewish state. But his diplomatic presence was in many ways a contradiction unlike any the world has seen since. While he was celebrated internationally for his exceptional wit and his moderate, reasoned worldview, these same qualities painted him as elitist and foreign in his home country. The disparity in perception of Eban at home and abroad was such that both his critics and his friends agreed that he would have been a wonderful prime minister—in any country but Israel. In Abba Eban, Asaf Siniver paints a nuanced and complete portrait of one of the most complex figures in twentieth-century foreign affairs. We see Eban growing up and coming into his own as part of the Cambridge Union, and watch him steadily become known as “The Voice of Israel.” Siniver draws on a vast amount of interviews, writings, and other newly available material to show that, in his unceasing quest for stability and peace for Israel, Eban’s primary opposition often came from the homeland he was fighting for; no matter how many allies he gained abroad, the man never understood his own domestic politics well enough to be as effective in his pursuits as he hoped. The first examination of Eban in nearly forty years, this is a fascinating look at a life that still offers a valuable perspective on Israel today. “Siniver’s principal achievement is his artful documentation of the tension between Eban the intellectual and Eban the politician. Such lofty thoughts do not distract Mr. Siniver from listing the indiscretions and dishonesty to which Eban, in his politician’s guise, occasionally succumbed.” —The Wall Street Journal “Siniver’s levelheaded account looks at the history of Israel through the life of the country’s eloquent defender.” —TheNew York Times Book Review (Editor’s Choice)

The comapnion volume to the brilliant new five-part PBS series. From a distinguished statesman, diplomat, scholar, and bestselling author comes an intimate portrait of the Israeli history he both witnessed and helped to forge. 16 pages of black-and-white photos.

Geschiedenis van het Joodse volk, geschreven door de ex-ministers van buitenlandse zaken.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The first comprehensive account of the epoch-making Six-Day War, from the author of Ally—now featuring a fiftieth-anniversary retrospective Though it lasted for only six tense days in June, the 1967 Arab-Israeli war never really ended. Every crisis that has ripped through this region in the ensuing decades, from the Yom Kippur War of 1973 to the ongoing intifada, is a direct consequence of those six days of fighting. Writing with a novelist’s command of narrative and a historian’s grasp of fact and motive, Michael B. Oren reconstructs both the lightning-fast action on the battlefields and the political shocks that electrified the world. Extraordinary personalities—Moshe Dayan and Gamal Abdul Nasser, Lyndon Johnson and Alexei Kosygin—rose and toppled from power as a result of this war; borders were redrawn; daring strategies brilliantly succeeded or disastrously failed in a matter of hours. And the balance of power changed—in the Middle East and in the world. A towering work of history and an enthralling human narrative, Six Days of War is the most important book on the Middle East conflict to appear in a generation. Praise for Six Days of War “Powerful . . . A highly readable, even gripping account of the 1967 conflict . . . [Oren] has woven a seamless narrative out of a staggering variety of diplomatic and military strands.”—The New York Times “With a remarkably assured style, Oren elucidates nearly every aspect of the conflict. . . . Oren’s [book] will remain the authoritative chronicle of the war. His achievement as a writer and a historian is awesome.”—The Atlantic Monthly “This is not only the best book so far written on the six-day war, it is likely to remain the best.”—The Washington Post Book World “Phenomenal . . . breathtaking history . . . a profoundly talented writer. . . . This book is not only one of the best books on this critical episode in Middle East history; it’s one of the best-written books I’ve read this year, in any genre.”—The Jerusalem Post “[In] Michael Oren’s richly detailed and lucid account, the familiar story is thrilling once again. . . . What makes this book important is the breadth and depth of the research.”—The New York Times Book Review “A first-rate new account of the conflict.”—The Washington Post “The definitive history of the Six-Day War . . . [Oren’s] narrative is precise but written with great literary flair. In no one else’s study is there more understanding or more surprise.”—Martin Peretz, Publisher, The New Republic “Compelling, perhaps even vital, reading.”—San Jose Mercury News