Thoughts

Well this book took forever to finish. At 631 pages it took some time to read and slog through. My understanding of Israel is limited so this was more of a starting text for shedding light on how it views assassinations. Israel also plays a factor in current JCPOA discussions which is why I was also interested in it.

Also this book continues to make headlines in thinktank and academic circles.¹ Interesting is the Israel’s role in creating the Front for the Liberation of Lebanon from Foreigners (FLLF).

Mention of FLLF in Bergman’s book is found in index on page 734. Mentions listed in the book are 242-43, 245, 378, 638n.

" The numbers speek for themselves […] The number here includes the actions of the Front for the Liberation of Lebanon from Foreigners, a terrorit organization that Israel ran in Lebanon in the years 1980-83, and which on its own attacked many PLO members and Palestinian civilians, as well as the unsuccessful attempts by Operation Salt Fish to kill Arafat, which cost the lives of many civilians. Because much of the material locked away in the intelligence community’s safes cannon be accessed, the estimate here is a conservative one. The actual numbers are probably significanly higher" (Pg 638n)

How it Reads

It reads as an Israeli criticizing the nation’s policies. It appears to be aimed at informing the general Israeli population on its assassination policies from a more linear and chronological perspective. Bergman was given privledged access to high officials and others used him to criticize Bibi or other political and military leaders.

Bergman has a tendency to be facinated with the technological revolution for intelligence which while interesting can be problematic from assessing its true role. I only mention this because at some point I want to discuss his reporting of the assassination of Iran’s scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. His account seems spoonfed by Israeli intelligence that he was killed with some sci-fi sniper controlled by Artificial Intelligence. Other accounts show it as a simple hit team. So while Bergman’s intentions seem to be well intended in trying to criticize Isreal’s foreign policy some of the sourcing within this book remain dubious since he can fall prey to Israel’s intelligence public affairs story.

That’s about all I can assess with my limited background knowledge at this point. Just a general sense that this is not the comprehensive source on the topic but a well needed one in any case regardless of any inadequacies.

Notes

I don’t take many notes when I read something just to gain foundational knowledge because I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for. I only took 1 note from the book.

Page 383. Major General Benjamin “Benny” Peled was the father of the Israeli drone program and these were first made useful during Israel’s occupation of Lebanon by 1982.

Should you read it?

Only if you want to. There’s bound to be something of interest to another reader but nothing terribly interesting either.

Bergman, Ronen. Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations. Translated by Ronnie Hope. Hardback. New York: Random House, 2018. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1061307743.

ISBN 978-1-4000-6971-2