A CALL AT 4 AM

A noble attempt to do the impossible: distill the nature of Israeli politics in 250-odd pages.

In this examination of 11 “key political decisions made by Israeli prime ministers,” Israeli television commentator and columnist Segal seeks to present “an alternative biography of the State of Israel.” If you understand the decisions, he writes, “you will understand Israel’s politics.” Segal looks at decisions large and small, from Golda Meir’s conduct of the Yom Kippur War to Ariel Sharon’s effort to forge a true political center; the author takes readers to a future in which peace seems increasingly unlikely and conservative dominance is likely to continue. As Segal makes clear, the nation is led by a prime minister, a first among equals, with much leeway given to opposition parties. Those parties matter: In Israel, one votes for a party, or “ideas, not individuals,” with value placed less on a decision than on the argumentative process of reaching one. Members of the Knesset do not vote their conscience, but instead “are obligated by factional and coalitional discipline.” Chalk that up to David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister, who recognized that a state made up of a formerly scattered and largely leaderless people meant that even the smallest minority had to be represented somehow. And one aspect of that party discipline is that although Israelis tend toward liberalism, their government is quite conservative, with religious fundamentalists often holding sway, so that “in Israel, a prime minister can only come from the right or the center-right, or at least head a government based on the right.” Benjamin Netanyahu comes in for a drubbing at Segal’s hands, though in many ways he has been a more effective leader than some of his predecessors, the author argues. Who will succeed Netanyahu? “I cannot predict,” Segal writes. “But like in police work, I can try to sketch a profile: This leader will be unremarkable, devoid of charisma, and boring.”

Segal’s capable account does much to explain why things are the way they are in the Middle East today.