No Mission is Impossible; The Death-defying Missions of the Israeli Special Forces
New York, NY: ECCO, and imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2015. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. xiii, [3], 365, [3] pages. Illustrations. Includes Preface, which discusses two never-ending combats: a combat on the front lines with Israel's enemies, who never give in, and an inner combat--the effort to conceive and apply strict moral and humane principles, unequaled by any other army. Also includes Source Notes, Acknowledgments, and Index. Michael Bar-Zohar (born 30 January 1938) is an Israeli historian, novelist and politician. He was a member of the Knesset on behalf of the Alignment and Labor Party in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1965 Bar-Zohar won the Sokolov Award for his achievements as a journalist. Nissim Mishal is one of the foremost TV personalities in Israel. The absorbing, fast-paced stories of thirty of the boldest missions of the Israeli Special Forces. These missions include Entebbe, 1976; Jerusalem, 1948; Black Arrow, 1955; the Sinai Campaign, 1956; The Six Day War, 1967; The War of Attrition, 1969-1973; The Yom Kippur War, 1973; The Nuclear Danger, 1981 and 2007; The Lebanon War, 1982; Fighting Terrorism, 1988-2014; and the Epilogue: The Lost Tribe Returns (From the Heart of Africa to Jerusalem--Operation Moses (1984), and Operation Solomon (1991). Each chapter includes an interview with a major figure who took part in the mission discussed, including some of the most prominent players in Israeli politics, and stunning photographs, many published for the first time.
Derived from a Kirkus review: In this harrowing account of Israel’s special forces, Bar-Zohar and Mishal delve into the complexity of their nation’s covert missions, especially during its violent formative years.
The book opens with Operation Entebbe, a hair-raising attempt to rescue Israeli hostages from a compound in Uganda in 1976. When terrorists stole a passenger jet, they flew to the African nation and broadcast their demands. The authors describe the Israelis’ secret plot to infiltrate the fortress, kill the guards, and free the civilian prisoners. This story sets the tone for the book, and every chapter reads the same: the authors describe a deadly situation, such as Egyptian armament on the Sinai border or a midair hijacking by terrorist group Black September. Resourceful Israeli officers huddle, concoct a plan, and dispatch their troops. Bar-Zohar and Mishal re-create certain scenes with rich dialogue and description, and many of these moments are rife with suspense. The stories are astonishing, especially the authors’ descriptions of the military firing precision missiles into populated areas, killing Hamas fighters and only a handful of civilian bystanders. The book is illuminating and shows how desperate and vicious the Arab-Israeli conflict has been. Israel did what it had to do, the authors argue; this kind of bloodshed is the only way to survive.
A well-researched and tensely written history that conveys some of emotional depth of key Israeli sagas. Condition: Very good / Good.
Keywords: Israeli Special Forces, Israeli Intelligence, Entebbe, Operation Focus, Kadesh, Terrorism, Operation Solomon, Operation Moses, Black September, Moshe Dayan, Hamas, Mossad, War of Attrition
ISBN: 9780062378996
[Book #79001]
Price: $25.00