Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: The Netanyahu Years
WORK NOTES: trans by Ora Cummings
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 10/18/1960
WEBSITE:
CITY: Tel Aviv
STATE:
COUNTRY: Israel
NATIONALITY: Israeli
https://us.macmillan.com/author/bencaspit
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born October 18, 1960, in Tel Aviv, Israel.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, journalist, columnist, television and radio news anchor, and political commentator. Ma’ariv, Israel, senior columnist and contributor to weekend supplement; television and radio news anchor.
WRITINGS
Columnist for Al-Monitor’s Israel Pulse; also a senior columnist and political analyst for Israeli newspapers.
SIDELIGHTS
Ben Caspit, who lives in Tel Aviv, Israel, is a journalist and a senior columnist for the leading Israeli daily, Ma’ariv. In Israel he is a well-known commentator on politics, diplomacy, military affairs, and the peace process. Caspit has anchored various television news programs and radio broadcasts in Israel for the past fifteen years.
Netanyahu
In his first book, Netanyahu: The Road to Power, Caspit and coauthor Ilan Kfir provide an early biography of Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu, the controversial prime minister of Israel. Casper and Kfir, who is also a journalist, were provided access to Netanyahu’s diary and to the prime minister himself via interviews. They also interviewed Netanyahu’s political allies, friends, and critics. The biography covers Netanyahu’s life from his birth on through to his first election as Isreal’s prime minister.
Casper and Kfir discuss how Netanyahu, who served in a secret commando unit, originally planned on a career in business after his stellar student days studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). However, after his brother was killed by terrorists during the Entebbe hostage crisis of 1976, Netanyahu decided to return to Israel and enter politics. He served as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations and then rose to the top of the Likud political party and eventually ran for prime minister of Israel, defeating Shimon Peres. The authors also discuss Netanyahu’s personal life, including his television admission that he cheated on his third wife.
“There are some legitimate questions raised in this book,” wrote a Tampa Tribune contributor, pointing to questions such as this: “Just how much was Netanyahu involved in stirring up the fervor that led to Rabin’s assassination?” Gilbert Taylor, writing in Booklist, remarked: The book “delivers … basic biographical information.”
The Netanyahu Years
Caspit is also the author of The Netanyahu Years, which primarily examines Netanyahu’s time serving four terms as Israel’s prime minister, with an emphasis on his last two terms in office prior to the book’s publication in 2017. In the process, Caspit examines Netanyahu’s policies, political struggles, and opposition to the Iranian nuclear program. Casper also addresses Netanyahu’s complicated relationship with the United States and the American Jewish community.
Although Caspit offers a full biography of Netanyahu, beginning with Netanyahu’s grandparents, much of the book focuses on Netanyahu’s political career and beliefs. Casper identifies Netanyahu as a type of neoconservative whose beliefs often align with the U.S. Republican Party. For example, Sheldon Adelson, a major Republican Party donor, has close ties with Netanyahu and uses his wealth to help Netanahu’s political agenda from time to time. Another example of Netanyahu’s similarity to some in the Republican Party, according to Caspit, is his willingness to associate with Israel’s extreme religious right. Casper also details the strained relationship Netanyahu had with U.S. President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, who served as the U.S. secretary of state under Obama. A major issue of contention was Iran’s nuclear program.
A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that Caspit portrays Netanyahu as having a “messianic self-conception” that leads him to continue to seek power by sometimes questionable means. In discussing Netanyahu’s handling of the “two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Caspit notes that, although Netanyahu professes to be in support of such a solution, he has done little in concrete terms to advance such a resolution. Casper also examines Netanyahu’s overall impact as a world leader.
The Netanyahu Years “is superbly researched and balanced, even as he acknowledges that his subject can be frustratingly enigmatic,” wrote Jay Freeman in Booklist. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called the biography “a highly readable portrait of an enigmatic politician,” also noting that Caspit “underscores his [Netanyahu’s] relentless, seemingly emotionless competitive drive.” In a review of the Jewish Book Council website, Michael N. Dobkowski commented on Caspit’s psychological profile of Netanyahu, from Netanyahu’s “almost messianic self-conception” to his relationship with his wife, noting that Caspit believes both “have tendencies of psychopathy.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, November 1, 1998, Gilbert Taylor, review of Netanyahu: The Road to Power, p. 467; July 1, 2017, Jay Freeman, review of The Netanyahu Years, p. 13.
Christian Science Monitor, July 27, 2017, Steve Donoghue, “The Netanyahu Years Portrays a Divisive, Oddly Compelling World Leader.”
Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2017, review of The Netanyahu Years.
Library Journal, July 1, 2017, Joel Neuberg, “Political Science,” includes review of The Netanyahu Years, p. 90.
Publishers Weekly, October 12, 1998, review of Netanyahu, p. 66; May 1, 2017, review of The Netanyahu Years, p. 50.
Tampa Tribune (Tampa, FL), January 31, 1999, “Biographers Take Unfair Swipes at Israeli Leader,” review of Netanyahu, p. 4.
ONLINE
Al-Monitor Website, https://www.al-monitor.com/ (February 3, 2018), brief author profile.
Jewish Book Council Website, https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/ (January 11, 2018), Michael N. Dobkowski, review of The Netanyahu Years.
Muftah, https://muftah.org/ (December 29, 2017), Joseph Leone, “Media Outlets, like Al-Monitor, Must Stop Publishing Israeli Journalist Ben Caspit.”
Ben Caspit is a senior columnist for the leading Israeli daily, Ma’ariv, and a regular contributor to its weekend supplement. For almost thirty years, he has been a highly respected commentator on politics, diplomacy, military affairs, and the peace process. Caspit has anchored various television news programs and radio broadcasts for the past 15 years. He lives in Israel. Ben is the author of Netanyahu: The Road to Power and The Netanyahu Years.
Media Outlets, like Al-Monitor, Must Stop Publishing Israeli Journalist Ben Caspit
Joseph LeoneDecember 29th, 2017
On Monday, December 25, Israeli courts extended the detention of sixteen-year-old Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi. Last week, Israeli forces arrested Ahed, her twenty-one-year-old cousin Nour, and several other family members after a video went viral depicting Ahed and Nour defying Israeli soldiers.
Many throughout Israeli society have advocated for the detained Tamimi women to be harshly punished. For example, Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett declared, according to 972 magazine, that the two youths “should spend their lives in prison.” One of the most horrific proposals, however, came from prominent Israeli journalist Ben Caspit, who on December 19 argued in the Israeli newspaper Maariv that “In the case of the girls, we should exact a price at some other opportunity, in the dark, without witnesses and cameras.”
While Caspit did not fully explain what this suggested “price” would involve, it seems safe to assume that Caspit is advocating for the most abhorrent punishments for the young Tamimi women, like torture, beating, or rape.
ADVERTISEMENT
It should go without saying that publicly suggesting, however obliquely, for violence, sexual or otherwise, against anyone is unconscionable. Those who use their public platforms to advocate for such horrific acts should lose that platform. Ben Caspit is no exception. Al-Monitor and other media outlets that frequently publish Caspit’s views on Israeli and Palestinian affairs should immediately cut off all ties with him.
Al-Monitor prides itself on publishing “the most trusted, independent authors from across the globe.” Caspit has forsaken that trust. His statements about the Tamimi women are unacceptable and undeserving of Al-Monitor’s dedication “to provid[ing] our writers with the freedom they need to express their opinions however they choose.”
On December 25, Caspit defended himself and his comments in the Jerusalem Post, arguing that he was the victim of a “shaming campaign.” Caspit maintains that the phrase was taken out of context, inaccurately translated, and wrongly maligned. He states (in English) that his original argument was “to get our pay-back later, in the dark, with no witnesses and no cameras. In other words, to carry out the girl’s arrest without having it turn into another shaming video that would go viral on social media.”
Caspit’s claim that his comment was mistranslated does not hold up, as his own English description is more-or-less identical to the translated statement. As professional translator Ofer Neiman told Muftah, the original English translation was correct and Caspit is just backpedaling to save face.
If we take Caspit at his word and adopt the most benevolent interpretation of his comments, he is still advocating for the detention and undisclosed punishment of young women, out of sight of human rights monitors and the international community. Even with this generous interpretation, Caspit is promoting cruel and illegal acts.
Al-Monitor, the Jerusalem Post, Maariv, and the rest of Caspit’s patrons must drop him from their platforms. Failing to do so would signify that Caspit’s views deserve to be part of the public conversation. As Israel continues to detain, prosecute, and torture hundreds of Palestinian children annually, it is unconscionable for these platforms to publish someone who advocates for unspeakable acts of violence against these young people.
Ben Caspit is a columnist for Al-Monitor's Israel Pulse. He is also a senior columnist and political analyst for Israeli newspapers and has a daily radio show and regular TV shows on politics and Israel. On Twitter: @BenCaspit
Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/authors/ben-caspit.html#ixzz53rKdAuqA
The Netanyahu Years
Jay Freeman
113.21 (July 1, 2017): p13.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
The Netanyahu Years.
By Ben Caspit. Tr. by Ora Cummings.
July 2017. 512p. St. Martin's/Thomas Dunne, $29.99 19781250087058). 956.9405.
Israeli journalist Caspit's biography of Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, elected prime minister of Israel four times (1996, 2006, 2013, 2015), is superbly researched and balanced, even as he acknowledges that his subject can be frustratingly enigmatic. Caspit admires Netanyahu as a tough battler whose "Bibi spirit" has allowed him to survive and often thrive in Israel's fractured and tribal political landscape. His fighting instincts, Caspit suggests, were influenced by his devotion to his scholarly, right-wing father and his older brother, Yoni, who died leading the 1976 Entebbe raid. Although his personal religious practices aren't strictly Orthodox, Netanyahu has outraged many secular Jews by throwing bones to the extreme religious Right in Israel. But it is his role in the conflict with the Palestinians that Netanyahu's legacy will likely be judged, and here Caspit finds him wanting. He pays lip service to the "two-state" solution but undermines efforts to advance it and never offers any realistic proposals. This is an important and informative work for American readers, since "Bibi" is likely to continue to be a strategic "partner" for awhile.--Jay Freeman
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Freeman, Jay. "The Netanyahu Years." Booklist, 1 July 2017, p. 13. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A499862661/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=b4a526a4. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A499862661
Political science
142.12 (July 1, 2017): p90+.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Caspit, Ben. The Netanyahu Years.
Thomas Dunne: St. Martin's. Jul. 2017. 512p. tr. from Hebrew by Ora Cummings. ISBN 9781250087058. $29.99; ebk. ISBN 9781250087065. POL SCI
Israeli journalist Caspit (senior columnist, Maariv; coauthor, Netanyahu) wrote this book while the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was, perhaps even more than the Russian president, attempting to influence the outcome of the U.S. election in favor of the Republican Party and his own reelection. Capit's book, with a faithful translation by Cumming, outlines Netanyahu's biography starting with his grandparents, then traces his political career, stressing his fraught relationship with the Obama administration. Caspit concentrates on Netanyahu's manipulations to gain and retain political power, influence (if unable to sabotage) the "Iran nuclear deal," and avoid meaningful negotiations for a two-state solution to conflict with the Palestinians. Caspit describes Netanyahu variously as "a Republican U.S. senator," a "political coward" and the self-anointed guardian of the security of the Jewish people, and he provides enough comment and analysis from those who have worked closely with Netanyahu over the past four decades to justify all of those characterizations. VERDICT An important read for anyone trying to understand the politics and personality of the most prominent Israeli politician of the 21st century.--Joel Neuberg, Santa Rosa Junior Coll. Lib., CA
Luce, Edward. The Retreat of Western Liberalism. Atlantic. Jun. 2017.232p. notes, index. ISBN 9780802127396. $24; ebk. ISBN 9780802188861. POL SCI
Financial Times columnist Luce follows up 2012's Time To Start Thinking: America in the Age of Descent with this book, which provides a glimpse into his postulation that the current political climate is both a symptom and result of years weakening liberal democracies. Luce's latest work excels in explaining the developmental history of Western democratic societies and challenging notions that this governmental model is durable enough to withstand the economic and political turmoil of present times. Luce drives home his argument regarding the volatility of Western democracies with examples and research broken down into four main segments: fusion, reaction, fallout and, half-life. For those who ascribe to Luce's theories on the current political climate, this just may be the right title at the right time as it weaves its call to action alongside projections concerning the results of the global rise of populism and present U.S. administration. VERDICT Presenting easy-to-comprehend political and economic information, this compelling read will appeal to both academics and general readers with an interest in governance.--Mattie Cook, Lake Odessa Comm. Lib., MI
Samer. The Raqqa Diaries: Escape from "Islamic State." Interlink. Jun. 2017.112p. ed. by Mike Thomson & John Neal. tr. from Arabic by Nader Ibrahim. illus. by Scott Coello. ISBN 9781566560054. $16.95. POL SCI
Raqqa, located in eastern Syria, is one of the most isolated cities in the world owing to the current occupation by the Islamic State (IS). The IS is ruling the civilian population through fear and intimidation. Outside journalists are banned from this area and the penalty for speaking to Western media is death by beheading. The BBC was able to get in contact with the small activist group Al-Sharqiya 24. A member of this group agreed to write a personal diary about his experience using the pseudonym Samer. His book provides a rare look at civilian life inside Raqqa. There are details of the fear tactics employed by IS that include cruel public punishments, with IS recruiting children as young as eight years old to carry them out. Transporting the diaries out of Raqqa was permeated with communication challenges, with frequent days of anxious silence from the activist group. To help protect Samer, his words were encrypted and sent to a third country before being passed on to the BBC. The details of Samer's experience are often times shocking yet provide an important document of this region's history. VERDICT Highly recommended for anyone interested in better understanding the impact of IS in Syria.--Gary Medina, EI Camino Coll., Torrance, CA
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Political science." Library Journal, 1 July 2017, p. 90+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A497612729/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=0510dad9. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A497612729
Caspit , Ben: THE NETANYAHU YEARS
(May 15, 2017):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Caspit , Ben THE NETANYAHU YEARS Dunne/St. Martin's (Adult Nonfiction) $29.99 7, 11 ISBN: 978-1-250-08705-8
A biography of the steely Israeli prime minister that underscores his relentless, seemingly emotionless competitive drive.As a translation from the Hebrew, this account of Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu's career is nicely fluent. Longtime Israeli journalist and newscaster Caspit, a senior columnist for Ma'ariv, Israeli's leading daily, is unafraid of criticizing the extreme right-wing views and single-minded ambition of this problematic public figure. Several themes emerge from the author's chronicle of Netanyahu's formative years in Jerusalem. One of the most prominent is the extreme reverence his family had to pay to his studious, humorless father, Benzion, a scholar inculcated in the Revisionist Zionist ideology: right-wing, leaning toward the American Republicans, and uncompromising toward Palestinians, all of which eventually formed the backbone of the Likud Party and encapsulated his son's own views. Caspit touchingly emphasizes Netanyahu's devotion to his older brother, Yoni, a shining, handsome role model and elite Israel Defense Forces commando like Bibi who was cut down tragically during the Entebbe Operation in 1976. Perhaps the most important lifelong influence on Netanyahu was his early education in America (MIT and Harvard), which taught him to speak flawless English and, as his career in politics grew, court rich American Jews into bankrolling rightist Jewish interests and his own campaigns. With his good looks and pedigree, he became the "perfect poster boy for the Jewish community" and gradually worked his way into the Israeli embassy and then head of the Likud Party. He would be elected prime minister four times (1996, 2006, 2013, 2015), matching David Ben-Gurion's record. Caspit focuses on Netanyahu's ongoing stormy relationship with Washington, D.C., as he has firmly maintained that "Israel and America were equal players in the international arena" and seemed mystified whenever this was challenged--e.g., from President Barack Obama over Iran nuclear concessions. A highly readable portrait of an enigmatic politician.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Caspit , Ben: THE NETANYAHU YEARS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 May 2017. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A491934221/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=abe953a2. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A491934221
The Netanyahu Years
264.18 (May 1, 2017): p50+.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
The Netanyahu Years
Ben Caspit, trans, from the Hebrew by Ora Cummings. St. Martin's/Dunne, $29.99 (512p) ISBN 978-1-250-08705-8
Tel Aviv-based journalist Caspit writes an informed, balanced political biography of the controversial fourth-term Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Born in Israel and raised in the U.S., Netanyahu possesses political skills that often prove effective in both nations. Caspit traces Netanyahu's decades-long ties to the U.S. Republican Party, starting with his affinity for neoconservatism and big money donors when he was Israel's United Nations ambassador in the 1980s. Today casino magnate and Republican Party donor Sheldon Adelson, Netanyahu's U.S. patron, pulls strings for him in what the author depicts as a disturbingly backhanded relationship. Caspit describes outright hostility between Netanyahu and U.S. leaders Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, heightened by disagreements over Iran's nuclear program, which led to Netanyahu's memorable, grandstanding 2015 visit to Congress. By Caspit's lights, Netanyahu's messianic self-conception, one that his family and inner circle encourage, constitutes a defining feature of his character, driving his "need to hold on to power at any cost." As captured in Cummings's remarkably fluid translation, Caspit's detailed, clear account covers Israel's domestic-policy disputes and Netanyahu's impact as a world leader. It also provides a vital guide to understanding Israel's influence on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Agent: Lynne Rabinoff, Lynne Rabinoff Associates. (July)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Netanyahu Years." Publishers Weekly, 1 May 2017, p. 50+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A491575334/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=bb6f129c. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A491575334
Netanyahu: The Road to Power
Gilbert Taylor
95.5 (Nov. 1, 1998): p467.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 1998 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Caspit, Ben and Kfir, Ilan. Netanyahu: The Road to Power. Tr. by Ora Cummings. Nov. 1998. 271p. index. Birch Lane, $24.95 (1-55972-453-6). DOC: 956.9405.
Biographical, though not a full-fledged biography, this book by two Israeli journalists traces Bibi Netanyahu's life up to his election as Israel's prime minister in 1996. Caspit and Kfir cover the main influences on his life, such as the death of his brother during a hostage rescue, but these are nuggets amid quite a few tailings. In passages this book wanders about like a fan magazine, explaining Bibi's gustatory habits in one moment, extolling his political determination in another, and elsewhere trashing his wife as a tastelessparvenu. The nadir occurs in a page describing how Bibi met the crisis ora clerical error in one of his campaign letters. The authors' justification for reporting such trivia is that it shows lessons he learned in the army. Netanyahu's actual career in the army lends better perspective on his personality than any subsequent handling of letters, as the reader discovers in Bill's firefights as a member of an antiterrorist unit. It's a patchy performance, but delivers enough basic biographical information to permit a recommendation.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Taylor, Gilbert. "Netanyahu: The Road to Power." Booklist, 1 Nov. 1998, p. 467. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A55053790/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=28dc725c. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A55053790
NETANYAHU: The Road to Power
245.41 (Oct. 12, 1998): p66.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 1998 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Ben Caspit and Ilan Kfir. Birch Lane, $24.95 (27lp) ISBN 1-55972-453-6
The authors, who have written about former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and current Labor Party leader Ehud Barak, take the reader on a superficial tour of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's life. They focus on his influences: the extreme right-wing leanings of his family, the importance of America (where he twice lived for lengthy periods of time) and the death of his older brother in the 1976 Israeli rescue of hostages at the Entebbe airport. Caspit and Kfir show how Netanyahu's powerful ambition and strong work ethic helped propel him from a political attache at the Israeli Embassy and a frequent guest on ABC's Nightline in 1982 into the prime minister's office in 1996. To their credit, they mention his role in the inflammatory rhetoric that culminated in the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, but otherwise there's little analysis. Shallow psychological diggings, such as that Netanyahu "was a 'middle child,' always struggling for his father's recognition and his mother's love" are left fallow. Other comments, such as that Netanyahu "was never the kind of man to pick up women," appear ludicrous in light of his three marriages and his celebrated affair in 1993 that caused a scandal in Israel and bears some similarities to Bill Clinton's current troubles. Netanyahu is often described as slick and lacking in profundity; unfortunately, this book fits that description as well. (Nov.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"NETANYAHU: The Road to Power." Publishers Weekly, 12 Oct. 1998, p. 66. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A53097115/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=29e394bd. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A53097115
'The Netanyahu Years' portrays a divisive, oddly compelling world leader
Steve Donoghue
(July 27, 2017): Arts and Entertainment:
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 The Christian Science Publishing Society
http://www.csmonitor.com/About/The-Monitor-difference
Byline: Steve Donoghue
Ben Caspit, veteran journalist and columnist for the newspaper Ma'ariv, has been writing about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for years, in all the seasons of that veteran politician's life and career, and Caspit's new book, The Netanyahu Years, now published by St. Martin's in an English-language translation by Ora Cummings, takes a rambling, wide-angle view of Netanyahu's life and times.
Netanyahu was born in Tel Aviv in 1949, reached the rank of captain in the Israeli Defense Forces, and attended MIT in the1970s, acquiring both a fine American accent and an at-times grudging intuitive understanding of America. He returned to Israel in 1988 and leapt into politics, but as inevitable as that path seems to us in hindsight, Caspit reminds his readers that it need not have been so. "By definition Netanyahu is a classic republican, both in his world view and in his values," he writes. "Had he not returned to Israel after completing his studies, the young Netanyahu - who went by the name of Ben Nitai - would have stayed on in the United States, and would almost certainly have become a successful, conservative Republican politician."
Certainly in Caspit's telling, he shows similarities to the common run of successful conservative Republican politicians in America. Caspit makes reference to the "Bibi Spirit" - "a spirit of resolve, the refusal to quit, the code of the last man standing," and this "spirit" was coeval with a stolid, unblinking drive to dominate. "Bibi had no sense of humor and never played practical jokes, nor did he ever dance or sing in public," Caspit writes of Netanyahu's time working at a kibbutz. "His speciality was his ability to win."
The long career Caspit describes is that of a professional politician on a hard-won and impressive winning streak. Netanyahu was Israel's youngest prime minister ever when he was elected in 1996 and he was elected to his fourth term in 2015. His slogan for a great deal of that time has been "Strong Against Hamas," a nod to one of the persistent besetting challenges of his long time in office. For decades, Netanyahu has spoken in front of cameras about being open to talking about solutions to the Palestinian problem while simultaneously ordering enormous expansions of illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. In one of his book's most cutting moments, Caspit seems to attribute some of this dichotomy to the "messianic conception" Netanyahu felt along with his third wife Sara - a conception that fed its own persecution complex. "They are amazed by criticism of trivialities like the massive expenses incurred by the prime minister's residence, their luxurious lifestyle, and their hedonistic extravagances," Caspit writes. "Netanyahu believes that had he not chosen to devote his life to his country, he would have been an American billionaire, living like his rich friends."
Caspit's flair for drama is at its strongest in the set-piece moments he scatters liberally throughout his book. These moments catch his large cast of characters in their more human aspects, and they're unfailingly interesting, particularly when they throw light on the more complicated parts of Netanyahu's long tenure in office. For instance, something of his thorny relationship with President Obama is illuminated in a moment Caspit captures from Obama's 2013 visit to Israel. The two leaders are walking together in the brutal heat, and Obama decides to take off his jacket and sling it over his shoulder ("He is the coolest president in American history, and he sauntered casually over the runway"). Netanyahu's aides quickly urge him to do likewise, but the gesture doesn't come naturally to the jowly, heavyset prime minister: "Netanyahu was more uptight, tightening his belt under his belly, not quite knowing how to hold his jacket over his shoulder." That combination of hard observation and grudging sympathy runs throughout the book, which grants Netanyahu the hangdog charisma that has made him "King Bibi" among large segments of the Israeli population but also tasks him severely for his volcanic temper, his touchy vanity, his pouting egotism, and almost preternatural capacity for political survival.
That last is now under fire. Netanyahu is facing government inquiries for substantial corruption, and whether indictments are issued or not, he will enter the 2019 election contest under a cloud of criticism. Likewise, his bumpy relationship with then-President Obama vividly underscores the thin line all Israeli prime ministers must walk, defying US and worldwide condemnation of their Palestinian expansions while at the same time guaranteeing the continued flow of billions of dollars every year in the form of US financial aid.
"The Netanyahu Years" is a passionate, impressionistic account of this divisive, oddly compelling world leader; the book is the kind of caustic and extremely topical account that readers would expect to come from a working journalist rather than a professional historian. Caspit writes that history will hand down its verdict on Netanyahu in its own time; this book will be indispensable in that process - but it's not the final word.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Donoghue, Steve. "'The Netanyahu Years' portrays a divisive, oddly compelling world leader." Christian Science Monitor, 27 July 2017. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A499396425/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=34260a9e. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A499396425
Biographers take unfair swipes at Israeli leader
(Jan. 31, 1999): Opinion and Editorial: p4.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 1999 The Tampa Tribune. The Tampa Tribune
http://www.tampatrib.com
NETANYAHU: The Road to Power. By Ben Caspit and Ilan Kfir. Birch LanePress. 279 pages. $24.95.
With elections looming in Israel and the Mideast Peace process perhaps hanging on its results, it is a good time to take a long look at the man who currently fills the prime minister's position.
In "Netanyahu: The Road to Power," Israeli journalists Ben Caspit and Ilan Kfir attempt, in a series of short, often disjointed chapters, to show how Benjamin Netanyahu came to his strong political beliefs and how he has acted since attaining power. While they succeed in the first goal, their work, in addition to showing some anti-"Bibi" bias, suffers from both questionable conclusions and gratuitous swipes at their subject.
Two men were the dominant influences in his life, the first a stern academic father whose early right-wing Zionist leanings caused, at least in his own mind and that of his son, his inability to find adequate work in an Israel that was controlled by the more moderate Labor Party.
The other was his brother Jonathan (Yoni) who became a fallen hero during the raid on the Entebbe airport in 1976. Bibi and Yoni were very close, and it was the latter who instilled a strong Zionist feeling in his younger brother, one that was first manifested through his service in many dangerous and covert operations as part of the General Command Reconnaissance Unit of the Israeli Defense forces.
Yoni's death rekindled Bibi's drive for success, which first was noticed on the international scene when he became Israel's spokesman in America during the 1982 attack on Lebanon. This exposure would lead to important friendships with noted members of the American media as well as with influential Jewish donors in this country, both of which would be beneficial as he launched his quest for political office.
IT IS AT THIS POINT in the book that the authors seem to change gears and begin their attack. They portray Netanyahu as an overly ambitious, self-absorbed individual who possesses a paranoid streak. Without providing much support, they criticize the prime minister for his inability to reach a firm decision, yet state in the book's concluding chapter that he has "the courage of his convictions."
They take exception to the fact that "when he had to choose between brilliance, sophistication, and loyalty, he always chose the latter." In a similar vein, they note that during a period of municipal elections "It turned out that most of those who helped him at this time were later given positions in Netanyahu's government." They lay much of their criticism of his government on this policy. But isn't this the way politics runs in most countries, including the United States?
MORE DISTURBING ARE the authors' continuing references to the eccentricities of Sara Netanyahu, the "first lady from hell." They add nothing to the basic purpose of the book other than to embarrass its subject. And perhaps most galling is their noting that his main political consultant was a homosexual. This one paragraph reference casts a large shadow on any claim that their work may have tried to be objective.
There are some legitimate questions raised in this book. Just how much was Netanyahu involved in stirring up the fervor that led to Rabin's assassination? They suggest that he was briefed on this possibility and brushed it off. And will the political necessity of cozying up to the religious right cause significant problems for the attainment of a lasting peace in the region? These inquiries should be addressed in an in-depth, well-documented work.
"Netanyahu: The Road to Power" is more like a series of newspaper columns and should be read with caution.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Biographers take unfair swipes at Israeli leader." Tampa Tribune [Tampa, FL], 31 Jan. 1999, p. 4. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A65975914/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=207b352e. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A65975914
The Netanyahu Years
Ben Caspit; Ora Cummings, trans.
Thomas Dunne Books 2017
512 Pages $29.99
ISBN: 978-1250087058
amazon indiebound
Review by Michael N. Dobkowski
Israeli journalist Ben Caspit, senior columnist for Ma’ariv, Israel’s leading daily, has produced a masterful political biography of Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu. Caspit’s book, which has been smoothly translated from Hebrew, traces the remarkable history of this singularly relentless and enigmatic, but flawed, politician — one who sees himself in the mold of Winston Churchill.
Born in Israel but raised in the United States and educated at MIT and Harvard, Netanyahu is clearly brilliant and driven. But, as Caspit reveals, he also carries the heavy baggage of his family history and, in particular, the expectations of his demanding father. Caspit discusses Bibi’s doctrinaire and dour, scholarly father who was inculcated in the Revisionist Zionist ideology. His uncompromising attitude toward Palestinians formed the backbone of Bibi’s views.
Caspit also sensitively emphasizes Netanyahu’s devotion to his older brother, Yoni, a dominant presence in his life, particularly after he was tragically killed during the Entebbe Operation in 1976. In many ways, Bibi has tried to live up to the legacy of his fallen brother and to fulfill his father’s expectations. This helps explain, according to Caspit, his flawed and narcissistic personality.
Caspit details how Bibi’s postgraduate experiences, through which he honed his English skills and introduced him to American politics, were critical. His introduction to Republican politicians and neoconservative circles, and to wealthy Jewish donors and patrons were especially important, as they would form the base of support for this rising star. Bibi became the darling of the American Jewish establishment, and gradually worked his way into the Israeli Embassy, the United Nations (as Israeli ambassador) and eventually to head the Likud Party. He went on to be elected Prime Minister four times: in 1996, 2006, 2013 and 2015, matching Ben Gurion’s record.
In Caspit’s view, Netanyahu has almost a messianic self-conception, nurtured by his family and close associates. He sees himself as the guardian of the security of the Jewish people. When Caspit ventures into areas of Netanyahu’s psychological profile suggesting, for example, that both Bibi and his wife, Sara, have tendencies of psychopathy, she the controller and he the controlled, the analysis is less successful.