MOSHE DAYAN: Story of My Life

by Moshe Dayan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 22, 1976

An austerely detailed, matter-of-fact yet revealing memoir by the famous Israeli general and strategist of the Six-Day War now regarded as the leader of Israel's ""hawks."" Though Dayan downplays major controversies (such as his role in the Lavon affair) and offers discreet praise of past opponents, he nonetheless conveys the forceful sweep of Israeli history and his own career, one which shows a remarkable mixture of foreign contact and insularity. His first military training came in 1937 as a police auxiliary for the British against the Arabs; he writes that the ""fanaticism and faith"" of the pro-Jewish commander Orde Wingate became a model. It was in fighting Vichy French commandos in WW II that he lost an eye and broadened his work into intelligence and diplomacy; after Israel's victory in 1948, he undertook negotiations with the Arabs, and reports that the US and UN oddly kept raising obstacles to a settlement instead of smoothing the path. Under adverse circumstances in the 1950s, Dayan devoted himself to making the Israeli army battle-ready, insisting that no mission be withdrawn with fewer than 50% casualties; his account of the Suez offensive of 1956 dwells on the perfidious procrastination of Israel's British and French allies. The book's rigorous reconstruction of the military side of the Six-Day War in 1967 is followed by a low-keyed emphasis on the benignity of Dayan's administration of the newly occupied territories. The prelude to the Yom Kippur War of 1973 is recounted in chastely non-political fashion, but the aftermath--seven and a half months of negotiations--receives fascinating step-by-step detail. The only statements Dayan ventures on the future are a recommendation that a modus v/vendi with the Arabs be reached over a period of years, while Israel maintains a ""fight to the death"" commitment. No bravado, but chill determination.

Pub Date: Sept. 22, 1976

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Morrow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1976

Categories: NONFICTION