Rise and Kill First by Ronen Bergman

The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations

784 pages, Hardcover

Published: 2018

Goodreads Rating: 4.41 * 6,233 ratings * 632 reviews

Genres: Nonfiction/Politics/Israel/Espionage

*****Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best History & Biography (2018)*****

The first definitive history of the Mossad, Shin Bet, and the IDFs targeted killing programs, from the man hailed by David Remnick as arguably [Israels] best investigative reporter

The Talmud says: If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first. This instinct to take every measure, even the most aggressive, to defend the Jewish people is hardwired into Israels DNA. From the very beginning of its statehood in 1948, protecting the nation from harm has been the responsibility of its intelligence community and armed services, and there is one weapon in their vast arsenal that they have relied upon to thwart the most serious threats: Targeted assassinations have been used countless times, on enemies large and small, sometimes in response to attacks against the Israeli people and sometimes preemptively. In this page-turning, eye-opening book, journalist and military analyst Ronen Bergman offers a riveting inside account of the targeted killing programstheir successes, their failures, and the moral and political price exacted on the men and women who approved and carried out the missions.

Bergman has gained the exceedingly rare cooperation of many current and former members of the Israeli government, including Prime Ministers Shimon Peres, Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon, and Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as high-level figures in the countrys military and intelligence services.